Larie McKeever: One-woman war against litter

She doesn’t mind affectionately being called the bag or garbage lady. Just don’t call her a litterbug.

Crystal Lake grandma Larie McKeever rises by 5 a.m. for her daily walks to see her granddaughters off to school, a tradition that started when her 16-year-old granddaughter was in middle school.

“I say, ‘Hi, good morning’ and give them a hug,” McKeever said.

But it’s not just her daily strolls that made McKeever stick out as an Everyday Hero.

The 76-year-old is on a personal crusade to clean up her Crystal Lake neighborhood. She collects trash along her walking route in parks and from the streets.

“I do it for my own benefit,” McKeever said. “I have met so many people. Everybody is so nice. ... I get so many waves and thumbs up.”

Her war against litter started when McKeever was a little girl. The youngest of three children and an instinctive daddy’s girl, McKeever often would walk her father to the pharmacy he owned in Iowa. He always told her to “bring a bag.”

Her parents have long since passed away. First her mother died unexpectedly from a heart condition, and seven months later, her father died from what McKeever called a “broken heart.”

McKeever carved her own way as the first in her family to pursue a career outside the pharmacy. She instead became a librarian after raising her two children.

However, some habits die hard, and McKeever continued to carry a bag with her wherever she walked.

“My husband always joked I had a master’s in litter,” she said.

The stories McKeever could tell would fill a book. Wild weather and injuries each would have their own chapters. Not to mention the unmentionables she has picked up from the street. Don’t worry, though, McKeever always wears gloves – sometimes a gift from people who appreciate her efforts.

McKeever even once broke her right wrist after a fall on ice. But despite the injury, she kept on walking.

“It hurt, but I didn’t think it was broken,” she said, laughing.

She’s been slowed lately after her doctor told her she has a stress fracture in her heel that was caused by her daily walks. But she’s hoping a new pair of padded gym shoes will keep her going.

McKeever was out during last summer’s derecho windstorm and a monster blizzard last February.

Fortunately, during each weather anomaly, friendly neighbors drove her home.

McKeever has a lot of time to think on her walks. She often reflects on life in general, and on those who have influenced hers.

“I think of [my father] almost every day,” she said. “Because I know he’s looking down on me saying, ‘She’s still got her bag.’”

The McKeever lowdown

Age: 76

Occupation: Retired librarian from Wheaton College

Hometown: Story City, Iowa

Family: Two children, and five grandchildren. Her husband, Gene, died in 2005.