Ziegler family, friends recall 'wonderful mentor'
It's one of Mary Schmitendorf's most vivid childhood memories: driving with her father, Gregg Ziegler, down narrow, two-lane roads.
"My dad would go out to pass a car. I would hold on and shut my eyes, praying we would make it," the East Dundee resident said. "We always did. His judgment was so precise."
Ziegler was renowned for his precise judgment and expertise, as a businessman, as a member of the armed forces, and as a driver.
The second-generation president of Ziegler's Ace Hardware, and a former Elgin resident, passed away of natural causes Tuesday at his Barrington home. He was 89.
Ziegler was born March 9, 1921, in Elgin. His father, Lyle, was one of the original founders of Ziegler's Ace Hardware, first located at 9 E. Chicago Street. After graduating from Elgin High School in 1939, he served in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a Marine Corps officer. He later graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan in 1947.
Shortly after, he returned home to join the family business. He married June Anderson in 1949. They had two children, Brian and Mary.
"He was very proud of his training and his accomplishments, particularly going through the officers' training program (with the Marines)," Schmitendorf said. "He always said that you start off with so many men in the class, and you end up with many less."
Son and current Ziegler's Ace Hardware President Brian Ziegler, of Elgin, said he probably learned more about business working for his father in one year than I did in four years of college.
"I revere him as a wonderful mentor," he said.
His father was energy efficient before it became trendy, Brian Ziegler remembered. In 1968, Ziegler added to the current Elgin store a lighting system that recycled heat.
Ziegler served as a past president of the Elgin Businessmen's Association, the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, the Elgin United Way, the Illinois Retail Hardware Association, and the Advisory Board of St. Joseph Hospital Elgin.
He also served as past director and vice chairman of the Ace Hardware board of directors, past chairman of the board of trustees of the First United Methodist Church of Elgin, past director of the First National Bank of Elgin, past director and founder of Larkin Bank of Elgin, and founding director and chairman emeritus of the First Community Bank of Elgin.
In 1983, he received the Illinois Retail Merchants Association's Retailer of the Year award. Outside of work and family, Ziegler had a passion for fine watches and automobiles, Schmitendorf said.
He set the NASCAR record for the Flying Mile event at Daytona Beach in 1960, racing his Chrysler 300F. For his accomplishment, he was inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Along with his children, survivors include his wife, JoAnn McQueen Ziegler, whom he married in 1992; grandchildren, Lyra, Brendan and Sara; and sister-in-law, Phyllis Ziegler.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. July 11, at First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Highland Ave., Elgin, with visitation from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mr. Ziegler's name may be made to the Mayo Clinic, Attn: Development Office, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, Minn. 55905.