Mt. Prospect loses village icon Lil Floros

To celebrate their 80th birthdays, Lil and Leo Floros’ family and friends piled in a bus and toured places important in the couple’s long lives. Stops included the old Montgomery Ward building in Chicago where Lil once worked and Wright Junior College where the couple met.

The only person missing was Lil.

“The night before she had a heart attack and couldn’t attend her own party,” Leo Floros said. “She insisted we go ahead with out her. She was the God’s greatest planner I ever met. She was an extraordinary lady.”

Lil Floros, 83, died Thursday from heart failure. Mount Prospect residents since 1959, the couple was just “Leo and Lil” around town.

Lil Floros was active in village events for decades, starting with a daily column she wrote for the Herald in the 1960s followed by her involvement with Campfire Girls when her two daughters were young. She served on the Chicago Metropolitan Board of Campfire for a time and coordinated a trip to New York City for the 16 girls in her group.

“She amazed me on that trip,” Leo said “She took buses and the subway with the girls and went everywhere. She had guts.”

Mrs. Floros continued writing her columns on the trip, using stamped envelopes she brought along to mail them to the Herald every night.

Mrs. Floros was instrumental in founding the Mount Prospect Special Events Commission and was co-chair with her husband of the 75th Anniversary Committee in 1992, which eventually became Mount Prospect’s Celestial Celebration.

“She wanted to honor the little people, the everyday heroes in town,” said Village Manager Mike Janonis who was on the board with Mrs. Floros. The winners of the Shining Stars awards are honored at the celebration, an award she won herself in 2007.

Former Mount Prospect Mayor Gerald “Skip” Farley met Lil and Leo Floros in the 1960s.

“In fact, Lil was responsible for us finding our home,” Farley said. “She heard that neighbors were planning to sell their house so she called us and told us to call them. We came to see it and ended up buying it before the sign even went up.”

Leo and Lil met at Wright Junior College on Chicago’s Northwest side, when Leo told Lil — then the college paper’s editor — he thought sports section could use some improvement.

“That’s when she made me the sports editor,” said Leo, who was married to Lil for 62 years. “She’s been bossing me around ever since.”

Mrs. Floros also spent 25 years coordinating recreation activities for St. Mark Lutheran Church, 200 S. Wille St., retiring in 1997. She had responsibility for coordinating all senior activities and crafts.

Meanwhile, her husband, Leo, was serving on the board of education for Mount Prospect Elementary District 57, followed by an 18-year stint as a village trustee, 1975 to 1993.

And Central School? Lil Floros helped save it in her free time a few years ago, said Marilyn Gunther, president of the Mount Prospect Historical Society.

“Many a meeting was held around their kitchen table with Lil always being so upbeat and positive that we would succeed,” Gunther said. “She championed Mount Prospect and was so proud to be part of this Village. We will miss her.”

Mrs. Floros is survived by her husband of 62 years, Leo Floros; daughters, Carol (Koszola) Floros and Dr. Nancy (Greg) Rajanen; and grandchildren, Adam and Krista Rajanen.

Visitation will be held 2-8 p.m. Sunday at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Road. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Monday at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 200 S. Wille St. with visitation one hour prior.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to St. Mark Lutheran Church or the American Diabetes Association.

Ÿ Daily Herald Correspondent Jean Murphy contributed to this report.