A final farewell to some of the notable Northwest suburbanites
From the “father” of Northwest suburban paramedic service to the man whose detective team caught John Wayne Gacy to groundbreaking women in politics, the suburbs lost some notable men and women in 2015.
Dr. Stanley Zydlo, 81
Considered the 'father' of Northwest suburban paramedic service
Stan Zydlo didn't entirely work alone, but nobody believed more strongly that if critically ill or injured people had access to medical care a few minutes faster - the time it took an ambulance to drive them to a nearby hospital - many more of them would survive. And, he believed that the suburbs' firefighters were the men/women for the job.
An emergency room physician at Northwest Community Hospital, Zydlo began lobbying for Mobile Intensive Care in the 1970s - in 1972 organizing a meeting of Northwest suburban fire departments to propose the idea of training and certifying firefighters in emergency medicine.
Zydlo taught many of the paramedic classes himself and ultimately oversaw all medical services by member agencies and municipalities. He went on to become medical director of Northwest Community's EMS system and emergency department, roles he held for nearly 25 years.
“Stan was not just a private citizen, he was a public treasure,” the Rev. Brian Simpson said during the eulogy.
Maurie Berman, 89
With wife Flaurie, founded Superdawg
Maurie and Flaurie Berman worked side by side for 67 years, opening the original Superdawg at Nagle and Milwaukee in 1948 as a summer-only hot dog stand while they both were students at Northwestern University. They liked the business so much they went into it full time. The Wheeling Superdawg opened in 2010. The two dancing hot dogs atop the famous restaurants? Maurie and Flaurie.
Richard Bokor, 66
Longtime Fremd teacher, District 15 school board member
Former students called themselves “Bokor's Army.” A history teacher and track coach by trade and a Palatine Township Elementary District 15 board member by choice, Superintendent Scott Thompson said Bokor worked tirelessly to make sure kids had the best education possible. Bokor taught history and coached track at Fremd 25 years, worked in District 15 for nine years and was an adjunct professor at National-Louis University for 10. He was inducted into the DePaul University Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 for a noteworthy collegiate track and cross-country career. After his death, a track and field at Winstone Campus Junior High was named in his honor.
Joan Brennan, 83
Elk Grove Twp. Democratic leader 'a woman before her time'
For nearly 30 years (1978-2007) Joan Brennan was the Elk Grove Township Democratic committeeman, working feverishly to loosen the Republican grip on the Northwest suburbs. She did it by getting out the vote. Brennan entered local politics in 1975, getting elected to the Elk Grove Park District board. Three years later, she ran for committeeman. She traveled in political circles that included George Dunne, Alderman Edward Burke, John Stroger and Richard M. Daley, even serving as vice president of the Cook County Democratic Party under Dunne.
Vito Buffalo, 83
Popular suburban bandleader inspired by Harry James
His namesake orchestra played everything from summer festivals to weddings and ballroom dance competitions across the suburbs, headlining the Founder's Day celebration in Algonquin for nearly 40 years. Buffalo fronted the band, and also sang and played lead trumpet. His signature Louis Armstrong rendition of “What a Wonderful World,” complete with handkerchief, was pure Satchmo.
Jerry Handlon, 76
Longtime Schaumburg Park District director had big, warm personality
When Jerry Handlon, the longtime Schaumburg Park District executive director, retired in 2004, the administration building was renamed in his honor. It was a tip of the cap to a man who in 26 years led the park district through many changes and upgrades - the construction of the ballpark now called Boomers Stadium; the development of Olympic Park and the Sport Center; and his riskiest endeavor, condemning the deteriorating Golden Acres Golf Course on Roselle Road and transforming it into the successful Schaumburg Golf Course - before the land could be claimed by developers for housing. Handlon's wacky side was on full display on his cable-access TV shows “I Love Jerry” and “ETC,” where he played characters like “Ebenezer Geezer, the oldest man in Schaumburg,” and “Sven, the Big Game Hunter.”
Don Johnson, 92
Founder of Des Plaines seafood market, Don's Dock
Whether it be lake perch, lake trout or shrimp, Don Johnson loved to serve up seafood to his loyal customers. What he probably loved even more was catching the fish himself, which he did in Waukegan and Door County. Johnson opened Johnson Seafood in 1951 on Rand Road near River Road. When Rand was widened in the 1960s for sewers and curbs he relocated to Mr. Don's, on Ellinwood Street next to Sim's Bowl. He moved to the current location at 1220 E. Northwest Hwy. in 1970, where it's been Don's Dock. He died at 92 at his home on Washington Island in Door County, where he retired 33 years ago.
Joan Wellander Kleppe, 90
Founder of Spring Valley Community Band
Kleppe founded the Spring Valley Concert Band in 1994, by writing to Schaumburg's cultural commission seeking village support. She promised the band would be largely self-supporting, providing its own instruments and most everything else. But it needed rehearsal space. “Joan was absolutely passionate about the importance of music, for kids, for adults, for creating culture within a community,” said Betsy Armistead, Schaumburg's director of cultural services. A trombonist, Kleppe played in the band until her health forced her to drop out about four years ago.
Ethel Kolerus, 91
First female township supervisor in Cook County
When Ethel Kolerus ran Wheeling Township from 1969-1981, stuff happened. She designed the Wheeling Township building in Arlington Heights to be a “one stop shop” for residents in need, dedicating the entire third floor to social services and offering free space to Northwest Mental Health Center, the Salvation Army, Shelter Inc. and OMNI Youth Services. She also established an office for general assistance and a small food pantry, and offered room to the Arlington Heights Nurses Club for a lending closet. From 1967-1969 Kolerus had worked on the staff of U.S. Sen. Charles Percy, setting up his case department, designed to handle problems that residents brought to the senator. She also was board president of Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village from 1986-1992, working with former president and CEO, Br. Philip Kennedy to add a regional cancer care center and a cardiac surgical center, dedicated in 1990.
Lou Kolssak, 79
Longtime funeral home operator known for being 'perfectionist'
Born in Chicago in April 1935, Louis A. Kolssak II caught onto the family funeral business on the city's West Side by living above it. It was a well-established business, and more than a dozen of the children who died in the Our Lady of the Angels fire in December 1958 were buried from there. In 1973 he opened the Kolssak Funeral Home on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling where he rapidly became a fixture in the community. He chaired the Wheeling Fire and Police Commission for 17 years, and when he died, flags in Wheeling were lowered to half-staff.
Joe Kozenczak, 75
Lead investigator in John Wayne Gacy serial-killing case
He rose to become the Des Plaines police chief, but Joe Kozenczak's career will best be remembered for what he did as a detective - lead the investigation into a missing Des Plaines teenager that led to the arrest of one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century. The 1978 case began with the disappearance of young Robert Piest, and ended with the arrest of John Wayne Gacy and the gruesome discovery of 33 bodies of boys and young men he had tortured and killed.
His admirers considered him and his team of detectives to be among the best in the business. Kozenczak's work on the Gacy case was the subject of a book, “The Chicago Killer,” he wrote with his wife, Karen, and the North American television miniseries, “To Catch A Killer.” He also wrote articles on the case and a variety of other law enforcement topics.
Joyce Marks, 90
First president of Arlington Hts. LWV 'got things done'
A British war bride, Joyce Marks and her husband moved to Arlington Heights in 1952, where within two years she was part of a group of women who applied to the state and national League of Women Voters to start a local chapter. The charter came in 1955 and Marks was elected the first president, leading 125 original members in studying issues and developing consensus positions, holding voter registration days and hosting candidate forums.
Fred Meeske, 87
Family name graced one of Mount Prospect's iconic businesses
Meeske's Market anchored downtown Mount Prospect for 59 years, for many years the only grocery store in Mount Prospect. Fred Meeske, who died this year at 87, was the second generation of co-owners. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service and co-ran the grocery store with his brother, Earl. The brothers sold the store in 1973, and new owners continued to run the market with the Meeske name, before ultimately closing it in 1984. Fred Meeske died about 16 months after a fire tore through the historic Busse Building that had housed his family's store on the corner of Busse and Main streets.
Frank Pesche, 88
One of 11 children who grew up in the family business
A fixture at Pesche's Flower & Garden Center in Des Plaines, Pesche was at the business seven days a week until he was 85. As one of only two sons of Fred and Helen Pesche, Frank and his older brother, Fred, worked closely with their father, from working in the greenhouses to fixing the machinery. After World War II, the family expanded the retail flower shop to include a grocery store, which Frank Pesche ran for the next 30 years. He became the resident expert on vegetable gardening, for which tomatoes were his specialty.
Dave Schmidt, 57
Park Ridge mayor remembered as taxpayer advocate
A staunch Republican and strong fiscal conservative, Dave Schmidt entered local politics in 2007 when he was elected Park Ridge alderman. Only two years later he was elected mayor and was re-elected in 2013. During the day, Schmidt worked for the Chicago law firm Chittenden, Murday & Novotny, arguing and defending cases in state and federal courts, particularly insurance defense litigation. He graduated cum laude in 1990 from Chicago's Loyola University School of Law, where he was second in his class.
The Rev. Edward J. Seisser, 57
Elgin pastor, superintendent of St. Edward Central Catholic High School
A private person and only 57 when he died, Father Seisser had a reputation for compassion, listening and a love of teaching young people, often through sports. He taught theology and history at St. Edward High School, where he also coached basketball. Later he became president of the council of administration and was superintendent/principal from 2006-2009 and president of the St. Edward Education Foundation from 2012-2014. He was reappointed superintended in 2014. “He had great care for all of the people around him, especially the young people at the high school,” said the Rev. Matthew DeBlock, principal of St. Edward.
Bob Spiegler, 87
Third generation to run longtime Des Plaines department store
Bob Spiegler was the grandson of Spiegler's Department Store founder Louis Spiegler Sr., and he was a Des Plaines native through and through, living there his entire life expect for his military years. He was president of the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club and was an active member of the Des Plaines Volunteer Fire Department for many years, before the department turned professional. He was also a Mason, a Shriner and a member of the Elks Club. Both he and his wife were members of the Des Plaines Dance Club.
Mel Timmons, 86
'Mr. Tennis' of the Northwest suburbs
For years Mel Timmons entertained tennis fans with a weekly column in the Daily Herald, and also ran the Paddock Tennis Tournament for 26 years. “I always called him Mr. Tennis, because he did so much for the sport,” says Bob Frisk, former assistant sports/managing editor for the Daily Herald. Timmons traveled to Grand Slam events, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but was equally supportive of high school tennis in the Northwest suburbs. A decent player himself - he captained the tennis teams at Parker High School and the Illinois Institute of Technology - he later was president of the Chicago District Tennis Association, helped start the Woodfield Racquet Club in Schaumburg and was vice president and general manager of the Pheasant Run Racquet Club in St. Charles. In 2009, Timmons was inducted into the Chicago Tennis Hall of Fame.
George Van Hagen, 92
Published writer, adventurer and decorated World War II veteran
George Ely Van Hagen III grew up in Barrington, where he was local history resonated so strongly that he researched and wrote many articles for the Barrington Courier-Review. He revived the Barrington community band and - as a decorated World War II veteran himself - contributed to the recognition of Barrington area veterans. An avid Alaska traveler, in 1947 Van Hagen found a large jade stone deposit in that area. It was exhibited at the 1965 New York World's Fair and later at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.