MEGHAN LYNN HARMON

A passion for helping others 

Meghan Lynn Harmon changed my life. I will see to it that her legacy has a lasting impact on others. 

Born to Beth and Bob Harmon, Meghan also had a younger brother, Kyle. I am the surviving spouse of nearly 10 years, but our relationship began when we were just kids.  

After being born in Springfield on what her parents said was the coldest day of the year, the growing family eventually moved to Litchfield. Meghan went to Zion Lutheran School and bonded with classmates in that tight-knit setting. Excelling early, Meghan always strived to be the best.

Meghan and I met when she was in eighth grade and I was a freshman. I can recount the long conversations on landlines we’d have about our favorite music, movies and views on life. We were inseparable in between classes or during lunch break at Litchfield High School. 

Meghan finished high school with honors. My first year away at college failed, opening me up to take Lincoln Land Community College courses, many I had with her. It was then I knew I needed to be around Meghan’s positive and graceful, goal-oriented approach to life. 

She continued to excel, inspiring me to do my best. Her patience was incredible, taking a rudderless 20-something and helping him find the way to success through persistence, diligence and dedication. 

Our love for each other continued to grow and evolve, traveling to concerts around the Midwest, game nights with friends and dreaming of big things to come. 

Then my calling came – working at a local radio station, eventually hosting talk shows like “The Council Roundup.” Meghan was my biggest fan. I knew she was proud of me. I’m proud of her. 

A true academic, Meghan received her bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois Springfield and two separate master’s degrees, one from University of Illinois, all with honors. 

Her passion for helping others was incredible. We volunteered for the Friends of the Chatham Area Public Library for a decade, performing plays to help raise money for their programs. She would steal the show with her star power. 

Everyone Meghan encountered when she was a librarian in Chatham found her to be among the best. Meghan loved helping people find books or navigate databases. She even enjoyed helping elderly patrons log on to their email. 

When she advanced to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, working in the library’s reading room, Meghan would regularly provide seminars for the public to show how they could access historic and rare items. 

At the Illinois State Library, she worked with an incredible team to ensure state grant dollars to public libraries were being used to the fullest potential. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, we received the news Meghan had breast cancer. We were devastated, but determined to fight. Meghan went through surgery, chemo and radiation, and bounced back incredibly. We even made our fourth trip to Iceland in 2022 in defiance of the pandemic and her diagnosis. 

We later learned it was metastatic. Meghan would tell me the life expectancy isn’t great. I didn’t want to believe it. My mission was to be with her every step, to love her and support her, no matter what. She would have done that for me without question. 

Meghan was honored Feb. 15 during a celebration of life held at the Illinois State Library in Springfield. 

Her family, close friends and I told the hundreds that attended – packing the atrium beyond our expectations – about Meghan’s grit, her grace, her ability to be incredibly put together and upstaging anyone else in the room with little effort. But, those closest to her knew the effort she put in and how just knowing Meghan made us each better.

Instead of flowers, we asked people to donate to the Friends of the Chatham Area Public Library. We raised nearly $10,000 and were able to provide for an installation to welcome visitors to the library’s new pavilion, The Backyard. For generations, children will be in awe of the spinning planter when viewed through three kaleidoscopes affixed to an anchored gyroscope. 

I hope to soon announce more details about my plans for a Meghan Lynn Harmon Foundation, a scholarship-granting organization for those entering library science. She would have wanted that.

Meghan, I love you, and will for the rest of my days. Thank you for loving me. 

Love, Chex. 

Greg Bishop is an editor for The Center Square. He formerly hosted Bishop On Air on WMAY and lives in Sangamon County.

This article appears in January 1-7, 2026.