Vanquished Dreams

Even to those who didn’t know her, the death of ice cream vendor Carolyn LaFleur hit close to home.

For many of us, ice cream trucks with their summer soundtrack evoke memories of a time when all we wanted from life was an orange Dreamsicle. And we got it.

That’s what LaFleur did seven days a week for 25 years: deliver dreams in the form of Popsicles and ice cream bars.

The 55-year-old Van Nuys resident was minutes away from finishing her route Monday evening when she was shot while sitting in the driver’s seat of her van in Canoga Park. The teenage suspect remains at large, and police have not determined whether robbery was a motive.

There would have been precious little to steal, in money, that is.

LaFleur’s daily, five-hour route started at an ice cream and candy wholesaler in North Hollywood and moved west across the San Fernando Valley. It took her through some tough neighborhoods, where parents were often grateful that she let them run a tab when they were low on cash. Their kids had dreams too.

LaFleur’s storied generosity was all the more remarkable considering how little she had. Her daughters said she just scraped by, making $75 on a good day, $20 on others.

Her perseverance and her commitment to family and community so impressed the principal at Jack London High School in Valley Glen, which one of LaFleur’s grandchildren attends, that the school has now established a college scholarship in the ice cream vendor’s memory.

LaFleur leaves behind three grown children and 12 grandchildren, who are stricken at the loss of their hard-working matriarch.

She also leaves behind countless small customers who will listen for her van, and parents who will have to find some way to tell them it is not coming.

To Contribute: Anyone wishing to help may direct donations to Jack London High School for the Carolyn LaFleur Scholarship, 12924 Oxnard St., Valley Glen, CA 91401-4101.