Assistant to Sears CEO dead at 73
Less than three months after former Sears Chairman and CEO Edward A. Brennan passed away at the age of 73, his longtime secretary and administrative assistant, Lou Fryz, died unexpectedly.
Ms. Fryz died March 17 of an apparent brain aneurysm while on a golfing vacation in Dallas. The former Elk Grove Village resident was 74.
Colleagues said Ms. Fryz was one of the longest-serving employees in Sears' history, having joined the company in 1951, shortly after graduating from Tuley High School in Chicago, the forerunner to Clemente High School on the West Side.
She rose through the ranks to become secretary to the Midwest Territory vice president, before being named secretary to Sears President A. Dean Swift in 1973.
Ms. Fryz's work for Brennan began in 1980 when he was elected Sears president and she stayed by his side as his executive secretary and administrative assistant when he became the company's chairman and CEO in 1986.
"She was fabulous," said Ernie Arms, former Sears news director. "Everything she did was perfect."
After Brennan retired from Sears in 1995, he served as an active board member of many corporations and Ms. Fryz again served as his right hand, Arms said, in an office in the Wrigley Building in Chicago.
One of the boards he served on was of McDonald's Corp., alongside Andrew McKenna of Chicago, its chairman.
"She was a remarkable lady," McKenna said. "She knew everyone and everyone knew her. She always knew the right button to push."
Likewise, Ed Liddy, retiring chairman of Allstate, which at one time was owned by Sears, recognized the strengths Ms. Fryz brought to her role supporting Brennan.
"Lou was extraordinary in her professional role," Liddy said, "handling complex or sensitive issues with great skill and diplomacy. At the same time, she was always an enjoyable and caring person to be around."
A longtime family friend, Maryann Aimone of Prospect Heights, described Ms. Fryz as something of an aunt to her family, attending all of her children's celebrations. Earlier this month, Ms. Fryz attended Aimone's daughter's wedding in New York.
"She danced and danced, and had so much fun," Aimone said. "It's a beautiful way for our family to remember her."
Ms. Fryz never married, but is survived by two cousins, Elaine Fricilone of Orland Park and Darlene Kocsis of Fort Myers, Fla.
A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday at Grove Memorial Chapel, 1199 Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove Village.