FAIRDALE, Ill. — Northern Illinois residents whose rural hamlet was nearly leveled by a deadly twister may get to return to their homes Saturday to assess the damage from the storm that killed two women who shared a friendship, favors and the same neighborhood.

Jacklyn Klosa, 69, was found Friday morning in the rubble of her Fairdale home, not far from where Geraldine Schultz, 67, died Thursday night when the tornado bore down on their neighborhood in Fairdale, a community of about 150 people. The storm that came through the area 80 miles west of Chicago ripped buildings from their foundations.

Schultz, known as “Geri,” hosted annual Christmas parties and made a point of driving Klosa to clinics for medical treatment. Klosa, known as “Jackie,” was described by friends as a friendly and quick-witted woman who spoke her mind.

Klosa “was just one of the most friendly people in the world, a wonderful mother and a wonderful friend,” said Les Bellah, mayor of neighboring Kirkland, recalling the “big ol’ hug” he got from her recently but also how she’d “let you know” if she was upset with you. “You never had to wonder what she was thinking.”

Fairdale has no village government, no school, no cable TV and no major businesses. Some residents kept horses in town; one family found one of its horses dead amid the debris Friday afternoon.