In this last edition of the year, Illinois Times celebrates the lives of just a few of the Springfield-area people who have died during the past year. By reading their stories, you can see that each one in this diverse collection contributed vastly to the fabric of life here. So they represent all who have lived their time and left us during 2011, leaving the community richer for their having been part of it.

Included here are U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, who demonstrated courage and independence as a moderate Republican, and Don Hickman, who stood for integrity and journalistic professionalism in local TV news.

Robert Goza gave a large part of his life to the NAACP and the cause of racial justice; Dennis Camp brought Vachel Lindsay back to life. Most touching are the lives of the children celebrated here. Travis Thiel, just six when he died, had a sense of humor that brought joy to his nurses. Kealy Carlson, killed in an auto accident at age 7, was “a hugger, a prankster, a storyteller, a rainbow painter, a lover of maraschino cherries.” These stories may make you cry, but then they also may make you proud to be part of the same community to which these souls contributed their days. –Fletcher Farrar, editor