Buffalo Grove teacher Craig ‘Mr. Podo’ Podolski remembered for dedication to students
The Lake Zurich and Buffalo Grove communities are mourning the loss of a beloved junior high school teacher who died suddenly last weekend.
Craig Podolski, an eighth-grade English teacher at Aptakisic Junior High School in Buffalo Grove-based Aptakisic-Tripp Elementary District 102, died from a cardiac event early Sunday at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Barrington.
The beloved teacher known for his humor, smile and dedication to family, students and community was 45.
“Our district and community are deeply affected by this news, as we are a tight family here,” said Katelyn Cooper, District 102 communications coordinator.
Podolski was a 1998 Libertyville High School grad who majored in sports management and minored in kinesiology at the University of Michigan. He worked a few years with the Chicago Bears before leaving to pursue his passion for teaching.
A Lake Zurich resident, Podolski started in District 102 in 2009 and served as girls’ volleyball coach and boys’ and girls’ basketball coach, among other activities. He previously taught at Middle School North in Lake Zurich Unit District 95.
“Mr. Podo” was cherished by students and colleagues and touched many lives, according to his obituary.
“He was a man who lived with passion, dedicating himself to his family, his students and the communities he served,” according to a GoFundMe online fundraiser established to support his wife, Susan, and children, Wyatt, 8, and Aubrey, 10.
“Craig always encouraged his children to chase their dreams, supporting them in every way possible,” the page reads. Funds are being raised “to ensure his children can continue pursuing their passions, just as he would have wanted.”
As of Wednesday morning, 972 donors had contributed $70,002 of a $100,000 goal for the family. In addition to GoFundMe, a trust is being set up for the children.
One commenter said she had Mr. Podo for language arts 10 years ago and was still impacted.
“There are so many reasons he was a favorite teacher of mine but I'll never forget the way he genuinely cared about all of us and got to know us,” she posted. “He was one of a kind and I hold my memories from that class even closer now.”
Besides his wife and children, Podolski is survived by his parents; a brother and two sisters and their significant others; nieces, nephews and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
“In true Craig fashion” the family requests very casual dress to honor the man who loathed dressing up and wore T-shirts and flip-flops in winter.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 941 S. Old Rand Road, Lake Zurich.
A private gathering for family and close friends will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. It is requested this time be student-free to allow those family and friends to speak freely.