Herald supervisor remembered as caring, kind
Dennis Michalak often proved that family was very important to him.
When his 15-year-old grandson Matthew, was a baby and Mr. Michalak was between jobs, the grandfather insisted on baby-sitting whenever the child was too sick to go day care.
And that meant Mr. Michalak woke up at 5 a.m. to drive from his home in Wheaton to Gurnee, said Brian Michalak, one of Mr. Michalak's four sons.
After their father's death Wednesday, his sons learned from their mother, Gerry, why the couple was generous to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.
While stationed in Greece during his service in the U.S. Air Force in the 1960s, Mr. Michalak volunteered at an orphanage, said Brian Michalak.
"He was moved by kids who didn't have a family and wanted to support them anyway he could," said his son.
And he was also known for his generosity and cheerfulness at the Daily Herald, where he worked as supervisor of administration.
"It was common to hear Dennis say, 'Well, I'm not real familiar with that, but I'll be happy to look into it,'" said Barbara Jenkins, director of process/quality. "Then the next day he would say he found something on the Internet or from one of his friends in the area. He was so resourceful."
Even when Mr. Michalak was undergoing treatment for cancer, he offered to help others at work.
"He was such a strong individual," said Jenkins.
He also earned praise from Mary Jean Rook, one of the people Mr. Michalak supervised at the Daily Herald.
"Dennis was always fair, understanding and kind," said Rook. "I could come in and have had the most awful drive or morning and he always managed to turn it around to something we laughed at."
Mr. Michalak's duties included dealing with contracts and supervising vendors, said Robert Paddock Jr., executive vice president of the Daily Herald.
"I was so pleased to work with Dennis because of his approach to life and his experience and judgment," said Paddock. "He was focused on minimizing costs but also on getting the job done and getting it done well."
Mr. Michalak is survived by his wife, Geraldine; sons Brian (Amy), Michael (Amy), Mark (Erin) and Timothy; four grandchildren; his parents, Chester and Eleanore Michalak; three brothers, a sister and many nephews and nieces. Donations may be made to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Williams-Kampp Funeral Home, 430 E. Roosevelt Road (one block east of Naperville Road), Wheaton. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Daniel the Prophet Church, 101 W. Loop Road, Wheaton.