Memorial Bench Honors Slain Plainfield Teen

Toni Keller of Plainfield was known for her sunny personality — and for her trademark sunflower tattoo. Today, a garden of sunflowers blooms in her memory at Northern Illinois University, where the 18-year-old was a freshman when she was killed in 2010.

On Saturday, the DeKalb Elks Club will dedicate another tribute to the teen, an art major who loved making people happy, according to friends. 

A sunflower bench, purchased with money raised in memory of Keller, now sits near the DeKalb Elks Lodge at the entrance of Prairie Park. A dedication for the bench is set for noon Saturday, June 22, at the Elks lodge, 209 S. Annie Glidden Rd. in DeKalb.

Keller died in October 2010 after telling friends she was going for a walk in Prairie Park to take photos for an art assignment. In April, William Curl was sentenced to 37 years in prison for teen's murder as part of a plea deal.

The sunflower bench, a nod to Keller's personality and artistic spirit, will join a white cross that already stands in her memory in Prairie Park. Thelma Holderness, a friend of the Keller family and founder of the Summoning of Yellow Facebook page, said volunteers originally intended to remove the stark white cross once the bench was in place.

But Toni's parents, Roger and Diane Keller of Plainfield, requested that the cross remain in place — not only as a tribute, but as a warning to other NIU students.

"Toni's family wants to leave the cross to remind kids that it's not safe to go in the park alone," Holderness said. "I'm hoping down the line there will be changes made in the park" to make it safer, she added.

A fund was established last summer to pay for the sunflower bench. In February, the DeKalb Elks Lodge held a fundraiser to raise the remaining money needed to make the purchase.

Related:

• 'This Could Be Anybody Else's Kid Next Time:' Curl Gets 37 Years in Toni Keller Murder
• Keller’s Memory in Bloom at NIU
• Fund Established to Purchase Bench in Honor of 'Sunflower Girl' Toni Keller
• Fundraiser to Benefit Toni Keller Memorial