Pro-Life Heroes!

* living and deceased (+)

+Phillip Baumberger (NE) by Janice Todd (NE)
“We were blessed to know Phillip even for a short time. He was the first student at the UNO Newman Center to work on starting a LIFE Runners chapter. He asked our advice on several occasions to accomplish this important endeavor. He joined our St. Matthew teammates to pray at the Carhart abortion facility and walk a virtual leg of our A-Cross America relay. In November 2019, LIFE Runners posted an appeal for teammates to help with a refund for the cost of an abortion for a couple who decided to choose life for their baby after being offered help by sidewalk advocates. Carhart was not going to refund the money already paid although the service was not rendered. Phillip answered the appeal and he and his family covered the full amount. He was definitely heroically Pro-Life!!”.
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+Dr. William/Roseanita Coffey (PA) – by Bishop Joe Coffey (MD)
“Dr. William Coffey was a founding member of Physicians for Life. Roseanita Coffey was awarded the Papal Medal, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope St Paul VI for distinguished service to the Church.”
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Anne Costello (VA) – by Bernadette Costello (NE)
“My mother conceived 22 children (6 miscarriages).  After delivering her fifth child, the doctor attempted to do a hysterectomy without her permission.  My mom awoke and stopped the doctor.  Praise God for her heroic stand, as I was her 12th child born.”
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+Nellie Gray (MD) – by Dr. Pat Castle (NE)
“Nellie Gray is the founder of the largest Pro-Life event in the world, the DC March for Life.  We became friends when she invited me to speak at the 2012 March for Life pre-rally in front of the White House.  Nellie accepted my invitation to be the first speaker at the Law of Life Summit in 2012.  Two months before her passing in 2012, she asked me to start the March for Life 5K.  We named the race in her honor, the Nellie Gray 5K.  She was truly Pro-Life without compromise or exceptions.  We praise God for her bold witness for the least of these.”
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+Ed Heigl (MO) – by Dan Hinrichs (MO)
“Ed Heigl, a Chapter Leader for the St. Louis LIFE Runners and 2013 National LIFE Runner of the Year, will always be remembered for his love for people – everyone from a baby in the womb to his career in care for the elderly.  Ed was a great track athlete in high school and an elite runner at St. Louis University. In his own battle with cancer. he fought for years for others with this dreaded disease by fighting for the “Right To Try” treatment legislation which the US Congress finally passed in 2018. He raised thousands of dollars in running events for cancer research. Ed was known for doing his runs carrying the American flag and often with his chemo treatment pack attached.  A rare treasure for the heart, mind, and spirit for anyone to have met, if only once, this marvelous and gentle God-fearing crusader. Oh, how he loved to run! In 2015, Ed was buried in his LIFE Runners jacket.”
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+Bernadette Ives (IA) – by Pamela Ives
“Bernadette Ives (our mom). A stay at home wife/mother who raised 7 kids and was a great, yet humble, role model for life. In the late 60’s, she took in a pregnant relative to live with us until the baby was born/adopted. She was a faithful prayer warrior for the unborn, praying the rosary for an end to abortion every night as a family at 9pm. She would take several of us kids to pray at St Luke’s for many years, including January 22 and several times in 1977. She was a faithful member of Monona County Right to Life, bringing several of us to the court house for the annual Life Prayer Chains. One year, she had me speak to the group on choosing life and being a single parent. She attended the March for Life in DC, attended Alpha Center banquets and Pro-Life Events at Central Baptist. A homemade banner always hung in our kitchen growing up, The Family that Prays Together, Stays Together.”.
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+Dr. Peggy McGinty (NE) – by Paula Parmelee (SD)
“Life long Nebraska resident, former dentist in Ponca. Peggy lived her Catholic faith in her former professional career. Peggy worked tirelessly for the unborn. She was the voice for many who had no voice. Throughout her career, Peggy served as a sidewalk counselor in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Sioux City Iowa. Peggy faithfully, and in obedience to her calling, drove to Omaha to offer assistance to women entering the previous Carhart facility. Peggy joined the organization “Helper of God’s Precious Infants”. She invited founder and pro-life leader Monsignor Philip J. Reilly to South Sioux City to teach others how to effectively help women through sidewalk counseling. When Planned Parenthood built a wall to prevent Peggy and others from offering help to women to choose life, Peggy went to work and had a scaffold built with a platform, that allowed her to reach out to the women over the fence!  Peggy’s legacy lives on through her gift of a large Crucifix, that was used to help close the Planned Parenthood in Sioux City, to the Omaha LIFE Runners.”
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Paula Parmelee (SD) – by Joseph Danner (SD)
“Paula Parmelee is our Siouxland hero who is standing up for the unborn and faith in Christ and is a supportive, caring and fun family friend.”
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+Pastor Bruce Rivers (CA) – by Enggrid Tjia (CA)
“Pastor Bruce was man of God that honored  and glorify our God by his words and actions. He was so bold and brave to defend and protect life from the womb to the tomb. He faced many challenges, pains and sufferings in his life but it didn’t hold him back rather bring him closer to God than ever. Pastor Bruce used his testimonies to inspire and encourage and give hope to a lot of people. He was full of joy and fire, definitely he loved to sing praises and preach the goodness of our Lord. He was a man with big heart with a lot of love. He opened his heart and home to others. He had a way to make a stranger  feels like a family. After he accepted the invitation to join Life Runners from Enggrid in January 2020, he worn his Life Runners’s Jersey to almost every events and conferences either that Prolife or not. He was so proud for being a Life Runners teammate. He told his friends and strangers about Life Runners. Guess what the blue color was his favorite color. During the walk for life west coast in San Francisco 2021, he did not hold back, he was so in fire and free to preach, and encourage and share his testimonies, sing and praise God along the way of Market St.. He was Wowww. He had so much joy and boldness in Him. He understood the meaning of gift of life, Praise God for him. His boldness, braveness, humbleness, compassion and kindness are contagious.”
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+Valerie/Bernard Zimmerman (IA) – by Rita Macaulay (NE)
“Started in 1994, the Shelby County, Iowa Prolife Committee. The Committee’s main functions are setting up a booth each year at the county fair, organizing Life Chain and praying monthly a 15 decade Prolife Rosary in the various churches of Shelby County. This Rosary gathering has happened monthly for 27 years and continues on to this day.”