While she may no longer be with her beloved congregation in body, the spirit of Sister Lakes’ late Lucile Niccum continues to live on at Dowagiac’s First Christian Church.

Several weeks ago, local contractors with Willis Construction finished installing a new elevator inside the church, located outside downtown at 201 Oak St. The lift, which takes parishioners from the church’s lobby up to the chapel or down to the congregation hall, was paid for with proceeds from the sale of Niccum’s property, per a request in her will.

Niccum was a longtime member of First Christian Church, who died at the age of 94 on Dec. 29, 2011. Prior to her death, the resident of Little Crooked Lake requested that all the money generated from the sale of her property be donated to her church — and that a portion of the money go toward paying for an elevator, which would allow older members or those with mobility issues to more easily get around the church.

Over the past several months, Willis Construction — owned by First Christian members Bruce and Peggy Willis — has built the elevator inside the Dowagiac chapel, using Niccum’s donation to make her vision a reality.

The first rider of the new elevator was Dowagiac’s Eleanor Moore, who was friends with Niccum for around 20 years, Moore said. The two women and their husbands befriended each other shortly after Moore and her husband joined First Christian Church, she said.

“She was a wonderful person,” Moore said. “She was the type of friend you could confide something to, and that was as far as it would go. She told so many great stories, too.”

Niccum, who herself had a mobility handicap, would often talk about wanting to see the church build an elevator to help her and other church members get around, Moore said.

Now that the structure is up and running, many First Christian members have taken advantage of it, Moore said.

“It’s a pretty fancy elevator, too,” she said.

The church will soon pay tribute to Niccum and her late husband, Ed, with a memorial inside the elevator that will feature a photo of the woman and brief write up about their generosity. At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, the congregation will dedicate the elevator in their memory during a special ceremony.

“I’m really proud of it [the elevator],” Moore said. “I know that she would be proud, too.”