No matter their mood, the kids always got excited when the car pulled up to the house of Renee Sue Lureen, whom they affectionately called "NeNe."
"She was like a mom to every one of those children," said Karen Lee, a co-worker of Lureen's. "And even to me at times."
Lureen, who ran a small child care business out of her home in Shakopee for almost 20 years, died suddenly May 28 from a heart condition. She was 60.
After graduating from Burnsville High School, Lureen worked for the Minneapolis School District, helping with a program that assisted single mothers while they attended classes. That job evolved into a life and career dedicated to providing for children: Lureen raised a number of foster kids and eventually became a self-employed child care provider.
On a typical workday, parents would start dropping off kids at her Shakopee duplex as early as 6 a.m. The backyard was filled with toys and climbers and "anything a kid could imagine," Lee said.
Then the children would spend the day following Lureen's agenda, usually jam-packed with circle time, arts and crafts, and other forms of educational fun.
"She just put all of herself into them," said Amanda Clark, who sent her two young sons to Lureen's. "She went above and beyond."
Because she loved horses just as much as children, three days a week Lureen would wake up even earlier than usual to deliver breakfast to the grooms and workers at the stable.