'Brother visitor' an inspiration to many at Alexian Bros.
His title was "Brother visitor." But to thousands of patients at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Brother Gene Gizzi symbolized the Alexian Brothers themselves, and their faith-centered approach to healing.
Brother Gene, as everyone knew him, made his rounds each day, starting in day surgery before moving to the emergency room, through the procedure clinic and then talking with employees.
He typically visited 30 to 60 patients a day, drawing on his background as a registered nurse, as well as a master's degree in social work. He listened to their stories, and sometimes shared some of his original poetry, before praying with them.
"I'm not in charge of anything," Brother Gene said during an interview in 2005. "I am spreading the Brothers' presence; people like to see the Brothers around."
Brother Gene died Thursday at the Alexian Brothers Healthcare Center in Signal Hill, Tenn., where he had retired two years ago. He was 78.
"He brightened everyone he met," says St. Alexius President and CEO Ed Goldberg. "He just had this way of putting people at ease, with his warmth, winning smile and calming nature."
Brother Gene and Goldberg were something of an odd couple, when each year they would circulate the hospital, presenting its 2,000 staff members with special treats on the feast days of its namesake St. Alexius, and of St. Bonaventure, in honor of the first medical facility founded by the Alexian Brothers in Chicago in the 19th century.
"He was so soft-spoken and calming, and I'm so hyper," Goldberg says. "Everyone loved him."
Brother Gene was a member of the Alexian Brothers for 59 years, and his ministry ranged from serving as vocation director to founding its mission in the Philippines in 1981.
When the Alexian Brothers expanded to the Northwest suburbs with the opening of the Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village in 1966, Brother Gene served as nursing supervisor, and later as head of the emergency room.
However, his most recent role at St. Alexius allowed him to merge his passion for writing poetry and illustrating his work, with visiting with patients and bringing a holistic approach to healing.
"Brother Gene was a good ambassador of the Alexian Brothers and he lived to carry out our mission," said Brother Jim Classon, provincial. "He will be greatly missed by the Alexian Brothers and by the communities in which he served."
Services are planned for next week in Chattanooga.