Many of you know – or know of – the Founder, President & CEO of IIL, E. LaVerne Johnson. But you may not know the Matriarch of IIL, who passed away on February 2nd at the age of 95: LaVerne’s mother, Clydene W. Castor. When most people are retiring, Clydene began working at the company her daughter had just founded, 24 years ago. And those of us who knew her, felt her spark, her spunk and her spirit on an ongoing basis. She believed whole-HEART-edly in IIL and in her daughter’s vision. She believed in all of us, and each of us was enlivened and en -LIGHT-ened when she would answer the phone at IIL’s Global Distribution Center in Monett, MO. Our challenges became easier, and our successes greater when we heard the aliveness in her voice. So here’s a tribute to Clydene:

 

G  – Gems of wisdom that she bestowed upon us with generosity and delight
R  – Radiance from the light she shone on everyone and everything
A  – Acknowledgements she gave us so generously and frequently
T  – Treatment of all people with kindness and compassion
E  – Encouragement she gave us when times were tough. They meant so much to all!
F  – Fortitude in all of the challenges of life and work. They inspired many of us to personal greatness!
U – Unique in the most positive of ways.
L  – Lovable. Purely and simply, inspirationally and deliciously.

 

So let’s all Be Grateful — for Clydene W. Castor, and for the legacy she has left behind that will last forever – one that her family, her friends and all of us at IIL can and will treasure.

Until the next time, Judy