Man owned forerunner to Glueckert's

Glueckert Funeral Home in Arlington Heights has served Northwest suburban families for nearly 40 years.

But John Glueckert Sr., who started the business, credits a former employer with drawing him in: Richard W. Black.

While Mr. Black's name may not be familiar to current residents, old-timers will recall he ran Black's Memorial Funeral Home in Arlington Heights from the late 1940s until 1960.

During those years, he and his former wife, Betty Black, erected a prominent building on the northeast corner of Vail Avenue and Northwest Highway. It was there that Glueckert worked part time, before earning his degree from mortuary school.

"Dick got me interested in the funeral business," Glueckert says. "He taught me from the ground up, and showed me the professionalism of the business."

The Blacks eventually sold the business to Howard Haire. Glueckert later served as its manager before buying the funeral home in 1970.

Mr. Black passed away on Friday. The former Arlington Heights resident, who lived in Danville for the last 47 years, was 87.

After selling the funeral home, Mr. Black returned to his native Danville. Drawing on years in the funeral service, and recognizing the increasing need for long-term care, Mr. Black built Colonial Manor Nursing Home, which continues to serve Danville area residents, today.

"Definitely, the funeral business was a conduit to his getting into the nursing home business," says his son, Mark Black, Colonial Manor administrator.

Mr. Black was a visible presence at the nursing home, and he even maintained an office there at the time of his passing.

"He kept the standards high," his son says. "He was my pit bull on that."

While Mr. Black lived in Arlington Heights, he was an avid supporter of athletics at Arlington High School, even before he had children, and friends say he attended nearly every home football and basketball game.

Likewise, he attended many sporting events at the University of Illinois in Champaign, and was awarded an honorary "I" by university officials in 1989. Another award he cherished, family members said, came in 1980, when he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, as a "Friend of the Game."

Besides his son, Mark, Mr. Black is survived by his wife, Barbara, and children, Linda Morrison and Leslie Black, both of West Jefferson, N.C., and Todd Black of Champaign, as well as five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Visitation will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. today, before a 10 a.m. memorial service on Friday, both at Sunset's Community and Life Tribute Center, 3550 N. Vermilion St. in Danville.