LEAVING LISA'S KITCHEN

WITH PLAINFIELD MOTHER LISA STEBIC MISSING FOR MONTHS, HER CO-WORKERS FIND TOO MANY MEMORIES IN THE CAFETERIA.

PLAINFIELD -- With their friend and co-worker still missing, Lisa Stebic's colleagues couldn't return to "Lisa's kitchen."

Stebic's co-workers -- Betty Stubner and Ruby Zegar -- will not return to Lincoln Elementary School where the trio used to work at the time of Stebic's disappearance almost four months ago.

"It's just too painful. There are too many memories there. We are going to the new school," said Betty Stubner, a food server now at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, 1900 Oxford Way.

They decided when school ended in June to ask for a transfer to another school in the Plainfield School District.

"It was so hard being there after the last month," Stubner said. "It holds too many memories. It was Lisa's kitchen -- she started that. She opened the school there. She had a sanitation license. Her name went up in the kitchen. She was there for the last four years. We looked up to her."

Lisa's husband, Craig Stebic, reported to Plainfield police that he hadn't seen his wife since she left their home with her purse and cell phone about 6 p.m. April 30. He said she left on foot or was picked up because her car was still in the driveway of their home at 13244 Red Star Drive.

In July, police said they narrowed the focus of their missing person investigation to Craig.

Plainfield police said there is no new information in the case Wednesday.

Before Lisa disappeared, Stubner said the three of them -- Lisa, Stubner and Zegar -- planned to request returning to work as lunch servers at Lincoln Elementary.

"We were going to get our letters ready so we were not moved around somewhere else," Stubner said last May. "We worked really well together -- the three of us."

"There is not a day that goes by that we don't think about her. I still go there every Monday and put flowers out at her house. I put it right on the front step every Monday -- that is when she disappeared," Stubner said.

Stubner and Zegar also will miss the children at Lincoln Elementary.

"The children there were cute. Cute children. I liked the friendship and companionship, Ruby, Lisa and I had. She was enjoyable to work with ... I'm going to miss it. This will be a new beginning for Ruby and I ... but we will never forget Lisa," Stubner said.

Reporter Catherine Ann Velasco can be reached at (815) 729-6051 or cvelasco@scn1.com