The eloquent Father Kevin Huber stood before mourners at Queen of All Saints Monday morning to eulogize Mrs. Louise Scholl. Huber lauded the generosity, love, and grace with which she lived her life. The long-lasting message, though, was derived from a rather mundane event.
Fr. Huber recalled a day - years ago - when he paid Mrs. Scholl a visit. He decided to stop at Dairy Queen on the way and pick up ice cream. He remembered the joy that overcame her face as she consumed the small Blizzard. But what stuck with Fr. Huber was the time that Louise gave him that day. He cherished it. And, like so, so many people in the Marquette and Michigan City area, he cherished her.
It's not an exaggeration when one says the Scholl family saved Marquette. The school experienced some lean years in the '70s before the Scholls developed the Marquette Foundation, which helps fund nearly every operation within the institution. Their unheralded giving provided Marquette a lifeboat when it needed it most. Richard and Louise Scholl stepped up to the plate again when they backed the construction of the Scholl Center, a facility that has provided the backdrop for memories of thousands of Blazers.
She spent 90 fulfilling years on this Earth, 61 of them with her late husband Richard, who passed away in 2012. There's no doubt the two are resuming their time together in Heaven.
If one was in search of role models, the Scholls are it. Millions of dollars in donations aside, Richard and Louise embodied service. Service to their community, service to the Catholic Church, service to each other.
As any alumni - or parent - can attest, one's time at Marquette goes quickly. And while all the monetary giving is what some may remember her for, it was Louise Scholl's time that left a lasting fingerprint on Fr. Huber's heart.
We should all be so lucky at some point in our lifetime to share a Blizzard with someone like Mrs. Louise Scholl.
