Helped develop Naperville, but family always came first

When Kenneth G. Carmignani left Naperville in 2003, it was a far different place than had greeted him 35 years earlier.

And he knew he had played a role in helping transform it from a once small town to the bustling city it has become.

"He came in as the public works director," said his son, Paul. "He was very forward-thinking in his approach. He knew even in the '60s that Naperville was going to be huge, even though other people didn't believe him."

Carmignani was involved in many of the projects that affect Naperville residents to this day including sewers, water systems and roads.

Carmignani, 71, died Saturday of a viral form of cirrhosis of the liver in a Fort Myers, Fla., hospice. He had moved to Fort Myers with his wife, Jackie, in 2003.

The couple met through his wife's brother, Richard Filippi, who lived with Carmignani at the University of Notre Dame while Carmignani was working toward his degree in civic engineering. Carmignani graduated from Notre Dame in 1958.

"I met him on their campus, but I didn't talk to him much," his wife said. "I really met him when my brother had him over for Easter … My grandma kept giving him food he didn't like, but he ate it anyway. After that, he called me for a date."

The two started going out seriously a few years later, when Mrs. Carmignani was away at college. They stayed in touch while she was in school by writing letters.

"He would write to me every night," she said. "I still have my love letters, so to speak."

The couple married on June 25, 1960, and moved to Berwyn, where Carmignani worked on building tunnels in Chicago for the state. He left that job to move to Lombard, where he worked as city engineer before moving to Naperville.

He moved to Peoria temporarily with his family to work on a road and sewer project there, then took the job as director of public works in Naperville in 1968.

He later went on to serve as village administrator in Woodridge for four years and village manager in Oak Brook for eight years. His final position was as a partner with James J. Benes and Associates in Lisle before retiring in 1998.

"It was very rewarding to work with him," said Gary Cottingham, president of James J. Benes and Associates. "He was good at getting things done and he had an ability to work with all different types of people."

In 1990, Carmignani was asked to serve on the Naperville plan commission.

"He was always clued in to what we were going to do in public works," Naperville Mayor George Pradel said. "He wasted no time -- you'd see him go scooting from one place to another all day."

Even though he liked to be busy and had a successful career to show for it, Carmignani always made time for his family.

"He always came home for dinner every night before the (city) meetings," his wife said. "He wanted to come home and check in. Family was a priority and he made sure that we spent time together… I think that's important and people might not do that enough today. It was a balancing act between family and work."

Other survivors are his two daughters, Lora Johnson of Sugar Grove and Diane Obey of Aurora; grandchildren Anthony, Daniel and Eileen Carmignani; and sister Joan Lenzi of Burr Ridge.

A memorial visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. today and from 8 to 9 a.m. Friday at Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville. A memorial Mass will be said at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 36 N. Ellsworth St., Naperville.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hope Hospice House, 9470 HealthPark Circle, Fort Myers, FL 33908.