Step up and make Cheney a great place to 'live'

If you have been reading the Cheney Free Press with any kind of regularity, you will have noticed something troubling. At least it’s troubling to me. In the last year, especially the last six months, Cheney has had to say goodbye to some people that have really made a difference in our community.

There are people that reside in Cheney, and then again, there are people that “live” in Cheney. We have lost so many that have made this community what it is today, and I worry that there won’t be anyone to step up and take their place.

June Labish, Denny Harmon, Joan Tracy, Lenny Meredith, Howard Ringley, Nora Peterson, Helen Boots, Tom Holbert, Linda Heiydt, Amy Jo Sooy-Tollefson, Donald Bell, John Mann, Grant Murie, Bill Arnold, Mahilani Gutina, Charlie Mutschler and Don Mangis. To many of us, those names are familiar because each and every one of them served this community in some way in their quest to make this a better place. They cared about those around them.

Some served quietly, seeking no acknowledgement. Some were true public servants that worked and got paid by the citizens. No matter how they worked, they did all they could to make a difference.

While no one could possibly take their place, especially in the hearts of the community they served, it remains that someone needs to step up and carry on the tradition of these fine folks and those that have gone before to make Cheney a great place to “live.”

I encourage readers to find a place to volunteer, do a good deed or simply serve someone in some way. It doesn’t take a lot of time to find something you are passionate about and then find a way to get involved in it. There are so many places in this city that a helpful heart can make a difference.

If I left any of your loved ones out of my list above, it was not intentional, there are so many names to list and I only had so much space to write this letter. Our city will not be the same with the passing of our loved ones, only we can step up and make a difference.

K. Gemmell

Cheney