Retired Librarian, 80, Walks 3 Miles Each Morning, Cleans Up Neighborhood

CRYSTAL LAKE - Larie McKeever, 80, is not only getting some fresh air and exercise when she sets out each morning on a three-mile walk. The retired Wheaton College librarian, who now lives off of Golf Course Road in Crystal Lake, brings with her garbage bags and picks up trash along her route with the purpose of keeping her neighborhood looking nice, the Northwest Herald reports.

She got the idea from her father who would tell her to “grab a bag” before they set out on a walk in the town where she grew up in Story City, Iowa, and they would pick up litter along the way, according to the article.

For those driving along Golf Course Road early in the morning, you may have spotted McKeever who wears a bright-orange reflective vest and walks year-round, the newspaper reports.

“I try to leave the house as soon as it’s light outside,” McKeever told the Northwest Herald. “But if I open my door and it’s pouring down rain, I won’t walk. Then again, if it starts raining while I’m on my walk, I won’t turn back.”

McKeever moved with her late husband, Gene, from Wheaton to Crystal Lake in 1997 to be closer to her oldest grandchild, Kate, who was a toddler at the time, according to the article.

You can read the full story on the Northwest Herald website.