Little Free Library at Chaney-Monge School pays tribute to Crest Hill educator

CREST HILL – Soon, Chaney-Monge School will have a Little Free Library outside its front door. The library is in honor of Cathy Davis of Plainfield, a former student, teacher and principal at this Crest Hill school, who passionately promoted family literacy.

Cathy died July 23, 2015, at age 63. Several months later, Jill Carter, reading interventionist at Chaney-Monge School, learned how Little Free Libraries can help foster literacy and thought of Cathy.

“She was an avid reader,” Jill said. “She instilled the love of reading to her students and to the staff at Chaney-Monge. She really focused on literacy and community building. We just thought it was a good fit for her.”

According to its website, a Little Free Library is a free exchange of books. There are more than 40,000 of these exchange sites around the world, the website stated. The community is free to take a book – returning it is optional – and leave a book in its place, which provides a continual renewal of materials.

Jill said David Skoryi, chief of the Lockport Township Fire Protection District, and his wife, Deb – parents of Jessica Skoryi, a teacher at Chaney-Monge who also attended the school – built the library. An area artist is creating a mosaic for it. The mosaic will incorporate Cathy’s favorite colors, love of gardening and favorite book: “I’ll Love You Forever,” Jill said.

When completed, the library will hold about 30 books for children and adults, Jill said.

“We’ll plant a garden around it as well,” she said.

At home, Cathy had her own “little library” of books she amassed through the years. Cathy’s favorite read? Biographies, said her son, David Davis of Plainfield.

“Education was always her thing,” said Cathy’s son, Ryan Davis of Plainfield. “She always wanted to see people improve and be the best they could be. We always wanted to learn. That was normal for us. It was something she instilled in us.”

Cathy graduated from Chaney in 1966, Lockport West High School in 1970 and Aurora College in 1974.

She earned her master’s degree at Lewis University in Romeoville. After teaching gym at Grand Prairie Elementary School in Joliet, Cathy went to Chaney-Monge, where she served its students for 30 years.

After Cathy retired, she worked in student teaching at the University of St. Francis in Joliet until her death and volunteered at the Chaney-Monge spelling bee each year, Ryan said.

Cathy also supported her family with the same passion she advocated for literacy. She attended her children’s sporting activities when they were growing up and encouraged David in his music.

Tera Davis said Cathy extended the same support to her when Tera began dating David.

“She thought it was great that I had my master’s degree and was a speech pathologist,” Tera Davis said.

Cathy was also an avid Scrabble player, but she didn’t beat Ryan very often. In the box is a score tally of games: Ryan, 250; Cathy, 70.

But Cathy’s final Scrabble score is not what people will remember about her.

“She was full of fire,” Ryan said. “She was one of those people you’d want in your corner in a fight. She believed everyone should do exactly as they said they would do. She had a very idealistic way of how things should be.”

For other Little Free Library sites in the Will County area, visit littlefreelibrary.org.

• To feature someone in “An Extraordinary Life,” contact Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com.