Obituary of David Jon Lukan Paulus

David Jon Lukan Paulus, age 51, passed away unexpectedly and peacefully on Sept. 9 at his home in Wheeling. Lukan was born on Guam on September 27, 1969 while his parents Ellen Ewing and David Paulus, who survive him, were serving in the Peace Corps on the island of Yap. Lukan was widely known for his dedicated volunteer work with homeless people in Lake County and as co-founder of Growing Healthy Veterans, a not-for-profit that established community gardens in North Chicago and Gurnee to encourage veterans and active military to engage in vegetable gardening as a healthy and therapeutic activity. Participants included Veterans at the Lovell Health Care Center and from the Lake County Veterans Court program. Lukan received his B.A. from Evergreen State College and certifications in Sustainable Agriculture from College of Lake County and in Horticultural Therapy at the Chicago Botanical Garden. He is also survived by Ellen’s life partner and her sons’ surrogate father Wallace Winter, Lukan’s cherished partner Sarah McVey, a brother Matthew Paulus, a step-sister Britanny Balough, an uncle Rick Ewing, a niece Madison Paulus, a nephew Julien Paulus, and many cousins and friends. A Quaker memorial service (masks and vaccination required) will be held at the Lake Forest Quaker Meeting House (101 Old Elm Rd.) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9. A Celebration of Life will also be held outdoors from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10 at the North Chicago Commons Community Garden (corner of Dugdale Rd. and Arrington Dr.). Unvaccinated guests will be asked to sit in a separate outdoor area. In honor of Lukan’s love of baseball, refreshments will include hotdogs, peanuts, popcorn and cracker jacks. The service will start at 3 p.m. To leave a condolence, visit www.funerals.pro and for more information, call 312-404-1907. In lieu of flowers, donations to Growing Healthy Veterans (1451 Wild Iris Ln; Grayslake, IL 60030) would be most appreciated.