Top of the Morning, Sept. 28, 2024

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Champaign’s Carolyn Merrimac loved sports, particularly her hometown Illini. So it was fitting — even peaceful — that she spent her final night watching Illinois upset Nebraska in football last Friday.

Surrounded by family who had rushed to her bedside at a Quincy nursing home, the 87-year-old mustered enough energy to make it to a couch as the game headed toward overtime.

“Although her memory was fading and her breathing was wanting, at one point I looked to her in a very low tone and said ‘I-L-L,’ “ said grandson Andy Schmitt. “To my surprise and without skipping a beat replied, you guessed it: ‘I-N-I.’”

Growing up in Quincy, Schmitt attended the UI and became a men’s basketball manager because of Grandma’s influence. Her “undying love for the Illini impacted my love for the university as well as many others,” said Schmitt, who works in Champaign and is raising a family of his own.

Her first 85 years were spent attending Illini games of all kinds. Two years ago, Carolyn moved to Quincy to be closer to family as her health declined. Her fandom never wavered, though: “She was an invaluable source of sports knowledge for her grandchildren. Carolyn was the Google of sports before Google existed.”

That’s from her obituary. Grandma passed away around 7 p.m. Saturday, not 24 hours after the Illini completed their improbable 31-24 upset.

“Although we were together under unfortunate circumstances, to have this one last moment as a family — having Illinois win in OT and have an undefeated start to the season — made for a storybook ending to a life that was marked by sports, Illini and so much fun times in Champaign,” Schmitt said. “I believe my Grandma is now in a place where the Illini are always undefeated.”