Writing this past August in the Daily Herald, columnist Dave Heun wrote of Lassie players Biddle, Mary Stark, Nancy Stark, Deb Jurca, Marlyss Runestad, Val Seldon and Marcia Ford, "it was hard to imagine any team topping those grand lassies. And not many did."

Heun could have mentioned Sue Pope, Cindy Martin, Laura Huntley Bieniak, Colleen Douglas, Re Matalonis, Jackie Crecio, and coaches - Walt Owens and Glen Ford,  statistician, Tom Burton, batboy, Mike Anderson and batgirl, Jody Ford as well. All of them had a hand in making the Lassies one of the top women's slow pitch teams in the country from the late 70's to the mid 80's.

"Just being a part of such a wonderful, successful organization was exciting," Sauve recalled in 2001. 

"They were the greatest bunch of people I¹ve ever been around," says Keller. "We lived and breathed softball."

So did the Lassies' fans, who often followed them around to tournaments in a bus.  "We had a bus load of fans that traveled with us," Sauve recalled. At times, the Lassies found themselves playing in front of as many as four and five thousand people.

After winning the ASA Major National title in 1977, the Lassies switched to USSSA ball in 1979. The Lassie's took second place at the USSSA World Tournament in Petersburg, Virginia behind Little Ceasar's of Southfield Michigan in 1979.

The team finished fourth at the 125-team USSSA World in Kingston, North Carolina in 1980 with a 7-2 record. In 1981, with Sauve coaching due to a serious leg injury, the Lassies went 6-0 to sweep the winner's bracket at the World, only to lose twice to the Virginia Belles and settle for National runners-up. Over the next six seasons the Lassies qualified for World play four more times, as well as winning numerous leagues, state and Open Invitational titles, before finally breaking up after the 1987 season.

Even after there was no longer a Lassie team, many of the players continued to play and win in such tournaments as in the Mixed Program, 35 & Over and 50 & Over National levels.  The Fox Valley Lassies epitomized success and class throughout their reign as a USSSA National power.  Their fan following and team chemistry were legendary and still are, almost 20 years after the last game.

Helen Biddle summed up the influence that Marcia and Glen Ford left their team after the 1977 ASA National Championship. “Marcia and Glen taught us commitment, hard work, learning from your mistakes, friendships, believing in yourself and that having a sense of humor were the basis for success. This not only made the team successful but helped us to achieve success in our personal lives.”

In accepting her Hall of Fame award at the Spring 2003 induction ceremonies, Deb, (DK) Keller said, "This group of women that I played ball with for so many years were the best people that you could ever know, we were like family."

That family lost Deb this past August, when she passed away. Perhaps this honor with several of her Lassie teammates, may serve as a fitting farewell for a woman who, with those friends and teammates, wrote a special chapter in the Illinois USSSA's history book.