Cancer claims life of Hyde's son

This story, republished from our archives, first ran Dec. 26, 2005.

Hank Hyde never quite made it to the big leagues, but he did stick around pro baseball long enough for more than a few brushes with greatness.

He was a one-time teammate of Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell and once struck out home run king Hank Aaron in a spring training exhibition game.

"He loved to brag about that," his brother Tony said with a laugh. "Those were great stories."

Hyde, the son of longtime Congressman Henry J. Hyde of Wood Dale, died Saturday morning after a 6-month battle with liver cancer. He was 55.

The congressman was by his son's side every day for the last several weeks, "holding his hand and trying to comfort him," Tony Hyde said.

Hank Hyde grew up on Chicago's far Northwest Side and in Park Ridge, attending Loyola Academy High School and Loyola University in New Orleans.

In 1969, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and spent four seasons as a starting pitcher for several minor-league teams before an arm injury cut his career short.

A finance major in college, Hyde went into banking once he left baseball and later worked as an auditor with the Illinois secretary of state.

But he never lost his love for baseball and was a rabid Chicago Cubs and White Sox fan.

Hank Hyde moved in with his brother's family in Elk Grove Village after being diagnosed with the cancer earlier this summer, and the two "never missed a Sox game the whole time he was there."

"We had a lot of fun together watching those games," Tony Hyde said. "He really loved that."

December 26 2005

Cancer claims life of son of politician

Hank Hyde was also a die-hard Chicago Bulls fan and relished an opportunity earlier this year to meet team general manager and former star guard John Paxson.

"He was always playing junior G.M.," Tony Hyde, who works for the Bulls, said of his brother. "So when I introduced him to (Paxson), he was quizzing him about all the trades he's made and giving him some ideas of his own too."

The exchange was vintage Hank, his brother said.

"He was just a very friendly, outgoing guy," Tony Hyde said. "He always had a smile and a pat on the back for you."

Hank Hyde also faced his illness with "bravery and dignity," his brother said.

"I never really saw him get angry or ask, 'Why me?'" Tony Hyde said. "His only worry was that he wouldn't get to see his children grown up and have families of their own."

In addition to his brother Tony and father, Hank Hyde is survived by his 20-year-old daughter, Veronica; his 18-year-old son, Daniel; his former wife, Gina; a brother, Robert; and a sister, Laura. His mother, Jeanne, died in 1992.

Visitation will be held at the Geils Funeral Home in Wood Dale from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday with a funeral Mass immediately afterward at St. Julian Eymard Church in Elk Grove Village.