Virginia Girmscheid, 60, was a mother of seven and a devoted supporter of a nonprofit that helped victims of human trafficking, especially women with children.
She was out for a bike ride last Tuesday evening when she was killed by a train at a crossing, near Lake Street and Hillside Avenue, not far from her home in Grayslake.
Friends say Girmscheid could have made a lot more money as the chief financial officer for a private company.
But they say her heart was in the nonprofit world. She was devoted to the Stepping Stones Network, where, as chief financial officer, she kept their finances in order.
"She had a very strong faith. She was a light to the rest of us. She was an example to the rest of us," Stepping Stones Network CEO Suzanne Baker Brown said.
The nonprofit was the first in the country to offer independent living, helping victims gain financial independence, education and jobs.
Girmscheid posed for a picture when they celebrated the opening of the first home for one of their clients a few years ago.
Away from work, she was a wife to her husband of 39 years.
Investigators were on the scene, as the intersection was closed for hours. It was devastating for her family and many friends.
Baker Brown had a long phone conversation with Girmscheid about an hour before she was killed.
"Ginny was the epitome of excellence but every part of her life," Baker Brown said.
Baker Brown plans to speak at her friend's funeral service Tuesday.
She says Girmscheid's financial skills helped guide the network through many challenges, and she will be very difficult to replace. But, they say, just as Girmscheid did, they have faith.
"She always brought a wonderful spiritual strength and spiritual perspective to everything we did, the perspective of wisdom," Baker Brown said.
A Metra spokesperson says the train involved was a Canadian National freight train. Metra is helping with the investigation and says they have found nothing unusual. They said it appears to be a tragic accident.