Laura Wiley Obituary

I was saddened to hear of Laura's passing today. I have many fond memories of growing up next door to Laura (and Dana) in Evanston. My thoughts and prayers are with her entire family.

I met Laura and David when my ex-husband & I were members of the Jewish Reconstructionist congregation in Evanston. I always enjoyed talking with Laura about life in general, as well as all of the cool things she & David were doing with the Albany Park Theatre Project.

I moved away from Evanston & the JRC 7 years ago, but when I saw the Illinois Arts council documentary on WTTW last year, I was so sad to find out that Laura had ovarian cancer. She seemed very positive and I really hoped she would beat it.

Although this message is belated (and I had meant to get in contact with Laura to tell her how great the documentary was), my heartfelt condolences go out to David and Laura's family and friends. I recently lost a cherished Aunt to ovarian cancer, and I know how devastating this loss is. I have no doubt that Laura's amazing spirit and memory will live on in all who knew her.

Dear Janice, I don't know what words of comfort I could tell you. From my own experience I know how terrible it is to lose a sibling (I am thinking of Dana), but I can't even imagine how awful it weould be to lose a child. Maybe it is good to know that so many people must be thinking of you with love and in deep sympathy, I too of course.

Dana,
I am so sorry to hear about your sister. I am thinking of you, and want you to know my thoughts are with you. Please let me know if you need to talk or need anything else. Remember to take care of yourself.
Love Debbie Kahn

David,
I am sorry to hear about Laura. It was always my pleasure to take care of you both when she received her treatment and to see you both enjoy your travels and your work with your students. It made my day. You both were the people I always looked forward to seeing. You both have an energy that I wanted to be around. I will always remember Laura with music, flowers, fairies and magic wands. I hope to teach my son to enjoy life the way Laura did. She was a giving spirit and I always felt that aura around her. I will miss her very much. My thoughts and prayers are with you and her family and all the people Laura touched. Love, Jade and Hank

David,
Meeting Laura and you and getting to know APTP when we first moved to Chicago has been an important piece of our lives here. Yesterday's service was an absolutely beautiful celebration of Laura's life. We were deeply moved as we always are when we see the work that comes from Laura, you and APTP. With deepest condolences and lots of love, Nancy and Bob

To all of Laura's family and friends, I extend my deepest sympathies. I did not know Laura well, only as a fellow member of the Kellogg Patient Advisory Board and through having seen her in the anniversary video, but I feel a close bond through a shared disease and through the time we spent on Board and Committee discussions, through enthusiasm she had for sending a message. Laura was an outgoing, energetic, enthusiastic person who will be deeply missed. I am so very sorry you all have lost her, and that the world has lost her. But we will remember.

Take care of yourselves.

Dear Janice, Marcy and Rick Chessick want to express our deepest condolences at your tragic bereavement. We send our love to you, our very old friend.

We are so glad we had the chance to get to know Laura when we lived in Chicago. Her passion for APTP and helping the community one student at a time always amazed us. Our thoughts are with David, Fred, and the rest of the family.

Dear Dana,

I was so sorry to hear about your sister's passing. My heart, thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Lisa Roth

We cared for Laura at the Kellogg Cancer Care Center, but she gave so much to us through her kindness, her sense of humor, and her warm presence. Before her recurrance, she was an articulate and passionate member of our Oncology Patient Advisory Board. She volunteered to speak in our 25th Anniversary Kellogg Tribute presentation and I am thrilled that many who were unable to meet her in person will still be able to see her grace and spirit. Whenever she visited Kellogg, her husband was at her side and the love between them was tangible -- my heart goes out to him in his grief. She is a great loss and we will miss her deeply at Kellogg.

To Laura's loved ones,
I read with sadness of Laura's passing. I was her freshman history teacher at ETHS and I first recognized her name and then her picture. She looks so much like her mother as I remembered her from parent conferences. I remember Laura as a bright, energetic and sweet young lady and from reading about her, it appears she only continued to blossom! I am sorry that I never saw her after she graduated, but I have very fond memories of her and I wanted to tell you that I am just one of many people who will think of her. My condolences to you, but I hope you can take some comfort as it appears that world was a much brighter and better place because of Laura.

To the Wiley and Feiner Families,
I am so sorry to hear of Laura's passing. It was my priviledge to be part of the team caring for her at ENH. I will never forget how gracious she and David were in allowing me to help care for Laura, or how courageous Laura was every single day that I encountered her. I will never forget her. My prayers go out to you, her family.

David
my thoughts are with you and your family. Laura was a beautiful woman and I feel fortunate to have known her. I was in awe whenever we met She truly lived life with dignity and depth.
with sympathy
Liz Parenti

I will miss Laura very much. She was a wonderful person. I learned so much from her. I was a member of APTP. I wish I could have thanked her for everything. She was such a strong lady. I will miss her smile!

To Dave and His Family,

It has been a joy and honor to know Laura over the years. When we heard of her passing, our family was deeply saddened. Laura was an inspiration to all and her struggle with cancer didn’t stop her from being her loving self. She always made us feel like we were part of her family and we thought of her as a part of ours. We enjoyed her presence at many of our family gatherings. We will miss the memories that were made with her and keep them in our hearts forever. Our sympathy goes out to the whole family and she will always be in our prayers.

David, Wiley and Feiner families, and the APTP community:

It was with the deepest sadness that we learned of Laura's passing. She has been a source of inspiration and light for us though our opportunities to see her grew fewer and fewer over the years. We have so often thought of her and expressed our awe of such an inspirational person. We remain utter fans of her incredible spirit, dedication to others, and profound talent as an artist.

It was an honor to know her, and we are deeply saddened to learn of this great loss.

Our deepest sympathies to you all,

Vicki Trinder and Guillermo Delgado

David, Family, and APTP Members,

I'm very saddened by the news of Laura's Passing. She was a good woman that showed us what a good fight is. She taught me some of the most important things in life. I remember one clearly. You don't have to always act like an adult once you are married and I think that was something she said in one of our last conversations. I will remember her always for the woman she was that lives on in all of us.

My thoughts and prayers are with all who knew and loved Laura. I am a better person for having known and cared for such a lovely and thoughtful person.

What a brave fight Laura put up for all these years. She was an inspiration to us all, and she will be sorely missed by everyone whose lives she touched.

I was very sorry to hear of Laura's passing. She gave so much to the community, and is truly an inspiration. My condolences to the family and to the Albany Park Theater Project, to whom Laura clearly meant so much. She will be greatly missed.

With profound sorrow over the passing of such an extraordinary woman, teacher, leader, and artist.

Dear Wiley and Feiner Families,
I was so sorry to hear of Laura's passing. I unfortunately never had the chance to meet Laura, but, I have been a friend of Dana for years. Please know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Please accept my deepest condolences.

Dave and family,
It was an honor to meet and care for such a wonderful and giving person during her last days. My sympathies to you all, Carm RN

Laura was a sweet person who lit the way for many others. She was an honored guest at our wedding and we mourn her passing.

Laura was in a video that we helped put together for the anniversary of the ENH Kellogg Cancer Care Center. I enjoyed her upbeat spirit and funny sense of humor, especially when dealing with such a serious subject like Cancer. She was dramatic and sensitive and funny and real. I very much liked meeting her and working with her. I'm very happy that she had the opportunity to tell her story in the video. The hundreds of people who have seen it were all moved by her honesty, struggle, and optimism, as I was. She was one of those people who is a bright flame that other people crowd around. I know because I'm warmer for having met her.

Dave and Family,

We are so sorry to hear about Laura's passing. Words cannot express how wonderful she was and what a tough fight she put up. My brother is a member of APTP and he is an incredible young man because of Laura and the group. Her legacy will live on in theater and in all of our hearts. May she rest now after her long battle.

Sincerely,

Brian, Jen, and Carter Simmons