Friend remembers Deb Lucal

"Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings." When I heard the news of the passing of my former neighbor and good friend Deb Lucal the line above from the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" came to my mind immediately. The moment her soul left her body and ascended into heaven a cacophony of bells rang out loud and clear, I'm sure, from many places. The life and struggles of the Lucal family are well documented in Norwalk. Ray and Deb's two sons Matthew and Nate were both afflicted with Muscular Dystrophy since they were young boys and died from complications associated with that disease. Ray was dealt with a debilitating illness a few years back and died shortly thereafter. Through all the struggles of dealing with these situations, Deb was the one who kept it all together. She told me once, as she may have to others, that she definitely had her moments of asking God how she was going to handle all these setbacks. She would have her moments of personal breakdowns but always found the strength to rise back up and move forward with life. She did more than move forward, she threw herself headlong into whatever community or church related project she could get involved in. The list was long, and she never did anything half-hearted — it was always with everything she had within her. I believe it's fair to say that her life embodied what God asks of all of us — a life of service. Service to her family. Service to her church. Service to her community. She never hesitated to raise a hand and be the first to volunteer for a project she believed in. Deb's energy and enthusiasm for improving others' lives should be a model for all of us. God created us to make a positive difference in this world and Deb did just that. She certainly has influenced me in that direction. At Catholic funeral masses, it is customary that a slow mournful toll of bells are rung just before the deceased and the families enter the church. On Jan. 2 at Deb's funeral mass, the bells of St. Mary's Church will be rung signalling symbolically that another angel has gotten her wings. And on those wings, she will rise far into the heavens, I'm quite sure. May we also ride those wings one day based on the life of service that Deb exemplified for all of us. Rest well, good and faithful servant. Your love of life and life of service will be missed by many. Dennis Stieber Terrell, Texas, formerly of Norwalk