Once upon a time, Virginia McCaskey inherited memorabilia from a cousin, a collection that included a box of old ticket stubs. In it, she said, was a torn admittance to the NFL’s 1932 championship game between the Chicago Bears and Portsmouth Spartans.

Virginia McCaskey was at the center of it all. She was the true matriarch of the organization. On Thursday, the NFL world learned of her passing at the age of 102. She lived about as good of a life as a human being can ask for.

Virginia Halas McCaskey was thrust into role as principal owner of the Chicago Bears after the deaths of her brother and father.