Statement from Jim Phillips on passing of beloved sisters

Dear members of the Northwestern community,

Northwestern University is stunned and saddened by the loss of Ludwika Moskal and Helena Lukasik, sisters and long-time members of the University community who died Thursday morning following a tragic car accident in Niles, Illinois.

Ludwika and Helena both worked for many years as part of the contract cleaning staff on campus for the Department of Athletics and Recreation and were reportedly looking forward to retiring in a few months.

Helena worked on the custodial staff since 2002, mostly at Henry Crown Sports Pavilion. In her 16 years of service, she cared primarily for the men’s and women’s tennis teams, cleaning their locker rooms, coaches’ offices and areas of the courts every night.

Ludwika joined the custodial staff in 2004, working often in Patten Gymnasium and Blomquist Recreation Center. In her 14 years of service, she cared for the lacrosse, field hockey, fencing and women’s golf teams, cleaning their locker rooms nightly. 

Both women have been described as either an aunt or mother figure to almost every member of the Athletics custodial staff. They were both caring and compassionate about the people they worked with, as well as passionate about the job they performed each and every night. They both will be sorely missed by our custodial team, who were made into a family around both these women.

Losing any member of our community affects us all. We extend our deepest condolences to their family, friends and co-workers on this tragic loss. Their dedication and contributions to Northwestern will always be remembered.

Jim Phillips
Vice President for Athletics & Recreation