Lightways Hospice in Joliet dedicates street to former CEO Duane Krieger

On Tuesday, Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care in Joliet dedicated its drive to former CEO Duane Krieger of Shorewood on what would have been his 88th birthday. Krieger died earlier this year.

The day was partly cloudy with occasional drizzles – until the moment the sign proclaiming Honorary Duane Krieger Drive was unveiled.

“Doesn’t it look beautiful?” Lightways CEO Mary Kay Sheehan said. “And the sun just came out.”

Sheehan said that before Krieger died at Lightways on May 28, he told numerous stories from his life, including the early days at the Joliet hospice.

She’s glad Lightways now has that history, especially since “we’ve got the shovel that he had when he first dug the ground for the first unit.”

And at some point, Sheehan said she realized “we need to honor this man in a really special way so that his legacy is never forgotten.”

“He’s the one who bought the land and built the buildings. And I think having his name on the land is important.”

—  Mary Kay Sheehan, Lightways CEO

Part of preserving that legacy is adding a biographical plaque in the lobby so hospice guests know about Krieger and his legacy, she said.

But then Silver Cross Boulevard was honorarily renamed Honorary Ruth Colby Boulevard in honor of Ruth Colby, president and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox at the time of her death.

Sheehan said she thought renaming the entrance to Lightways as Honorary Duane Krieger Drive was “a beautiful way to honor him.”

“He’s the one who bought the land and built the buildings,” she said. “And I think having his name on the land is important.”

Legacy of service

Krieger served for 35 years as the radiology manager at the hospital currently operating as Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet and four years as Will County coroner after being elected to that role in 1988.

In 1992, Krieger became CEO of Joliet Area Community Hospice and led the capital campaign that allowed the organization to become the first in-patient hospice in Illinois.

Joliet Area Community Hospice moved into its new, free-standing hospice facility in 2004 and began a campaign to expand and renovate the existing hospice home in 2017.

The project cost $8.3 million, which came from money raised in the capital campaign, grants and reserved funds. The expansion and renovation was being competed in two phases, increasing the capacity from 16 patients to 20 and increasing comfort for patients and their loved ones.

Before the official ribbon-cutting of Honorary Duane Krieger Drive, local officials and members of the Joliet hospice shared their thoughts on Krieger’s legacy.

Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy talked about how Krieger worked tirelessly with a number of organizations to secure funds for the in-patient hospice building – which D’Arcy called “transitional housing at its finest” – and praised Krieger as a “true advocate” of hospice care.

“His passion and determination were unwavering,” D’Arcy said.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant recalled how both her parents received care through Joliet’s hospice because of Krieger’s dedication.

“His commitment to service in an inspiration,” she said.

Sheehan, who worked to triple Lightways’ pediatric capacity in 2022 after a pediatric hospice program in Barrington closed, said Krieger was her role model and hero.

“He taught us to fight for patients and their families, and their rights,” she said.

Lightways chaplain Jim McGuire said the road that leads into hospice is more than “asphalt and signage” to those driving on it.

For those entering hospice and their loved ones, the road may represent anxiety, uncertainty and even comfort at the care that awaits inside, McGuire said.

And when family members leave, the road may symbolize sorrow and acceptance, “knowing their loved one is at peace,” he said.

With the renaming of the road as Honorary Duane Krieger Drive, McGuire offered a final insight.

“May this road represent comfort, hope and a reminder that life is not stagnant but always moving forward,” McGuire said. “And may each find peace for their journey under God’s abiding grace.”