Lisle dad, 88, has a lifetime of memories and more to come
Ernie Stern was a '50s kind of dad.
No wearing the baby in a Snugli, no driving a carpool. He was the breadwinner in a family of six, so he worked nights as a lithographer to get the extra 15 percent pay. He slept during the day and admits he left a lot of the child rearing to his late wife.
But his four grown children still have many special memories of life with "Pops." One-on-one outings to Sox games. (They're really Cubs fans, but Stern wasn't about to turn down free Sox tickets from his employer). Simple but special birthday gifts. Summer vacations to Door County.
Best of all, they still have their Dad, who will be 89 next week. And, boy, are they proud of him.
Stern, of Lisle, continues to deliver Meals on Wheels once a week, as he has been for 16 years. He's been a hospice volunteer for 10 years.
"I have an unbelievable dad," said his daughter, Patti Coppersmith of Glen Ellyn.
Her siblings agree.
"We all know of many that could be considered heroes, but my dad ranks high on the list. The kindness and friendliness he expresses to all that come in contact with him each and every day should be emulated; the world would be a better place," wrote son Robert Stern of Bartlett.
Every Tuesday morning, Stern drives to the Meadows Center to pick up meals, which he delivers to seniors in Lisle and Downers Grove. And he knows that the time he spends chatting is just as important as the food.
"Some of the (clients) I deliver meals to are World War II veterans like myself, so we form a special bond as well," Stern said.
He started as a hospice volunteer after his wife of more than 50 years, Eileen, died of cancer. The hospice care she received meant so much to the family that Stern wanted to give back. For several hours each week, he relieves the full-time caregivers so they can take a much-needed break.
"The whole point of hospice is to provide as much comfort as possible," he said.
In 2003, Stern married Marilyn Purdy-Stern, who he met through the Widows or Widowers Club in Villa Park. They are now "married WOWs" and have a busy social life with other couples who met through the organization.
The Sterns stay physically active, walking regularly at both the Morton Arboretum in Lisle and Naperville's Riverwalk. This summer, about 20 members of the extended family will join them on a cruise to Alaska. Stern was stationed in the Aleutian Islands as a meteorologist for the Army Air Force during World War II.
He has two other grown children, Peggy Latini, formerly of Oak Brook, and Tom Stern of Wheaton, many grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
"Despite the fact that my Dad 'forced' me, a Cubs fan, to go to White Sox night games, I have especially fond memories of those evenings," Tom Stern wrote. "This was our special time, one on one - so important having Dad's attention when you are one of four."
These days, he still likes to talk about those Cubs, Coppersmith said, along with "his perspectives on life, politics, the stock market."
He is friendly, funny and shows no sign of slowing down.
"He is awesome," Coppersmith said.
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