Mundelein businessman dead at 87

For more than 30 years, Kenneth Winterick and his wife, Marilyn, ran an old fashioned office supply store, where customers stopped in for everything from envelopes and paper clips to making copies and later, sending faxes.

A closer look, however, revealed the business to be bigger than the "mom and pop" enterprise it appeared. In truth, Village Office Supply served some of the biggest corporate accounts in the area, including Abbott Labs in North Chicago, Rustoleum in Mundelein, Anchor Hocking and the Ball Corp., as well as Mundelein High School, the village of Mundelein and many of the car dealerships in Libertyville.

Mr. Winterick passed away on Monday, seven years after his wife. The 48-year resident of Mundelein was 87.

The couple originally ran Village Office Supply on Park Avenue in downtown Mundelein for years before constructing a new building at 515 N. Lake St., which they held until closing the shop in 1998.

Marilyn Winterick originally opened the store, while Mr. Winterick worked at a commercial printing business. However, he soon joined his wife, jumping in to help grow the business. She ran the retail end, including the office supplies and greeting cards, while he developed the corporate clients.

"One of his favorite expressions was, 'I'm going out to knock on some doors,'" said his son, Jim, now living in Miami. "He was quite a salesman; he knew what people wanted."

He also knew that to boost sales he needed to raise his visibility in the village. Consequently, he became active in civic affairs, joining the Mundelein Jaycees and the Rotary Club of Mundelein, and he even ran for public office.

During the 1980s, Mr. Winterick mounted two successive campaigns for mayor, both times losing to the eventual winner, Colin McRae, who served from 1982 to 1990.

Mike Flynn, Mundelein's assistant village administrator, described Village Office Supply as something of a throwback, that eventually had to give way to larger office supply chains.

"It was a small 'mom and pop' kind of store that filled a niche, and one of those stores you don't find too much any more," Flynn says. "For us, he provided a personal relationship, you were doing business with someone in the community where you knew the owner, and the product."

Besides his son, Mr. Winterick is survived by his daughter, Lynn Gibson of Mundelein, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Visitation for Mr. Winterick will take place from 4-8 p.m. Friday, before an 11 a.m. funeral on Saturday, both at Kristan Funeral Home, 219 W. Maple Ave. in Mundelein.