Arlington Heights sewer worker honored 15 years after his death
Mike Calicchio was, by all accounts, a regular guy who lead an ordinary life.
He grew up in a tight-knit Arlington Heights neighborhood and played basketball in high school. He didn't go to college, choosing instead to work for the village's sewer unit. He got married and became a dad, and died suddenly just 16 months later, in 2001, after he developed a respiratory infection.
But what happened Saturday was by no means regular or ordinary. It was, instead, a testament to how much Calicchio - a big-hearted, salt-of-the-earth kind of guy - made an imprint on those who knew him.
About 50 family members, friends and co-workers got together at Recreation Park in Arlington Heights, where a memorial dedicated to Calicchio was unveiled the day before his 54th birthday. "Shooting jump shots in heaven," reads an inscription on the memorial bench by the basketball court where Calicchio and his friends spent hours playing.
"Your presence here 15 years later says a lot about the man that you're honoring today," said the Rev. Matt Foley of St. James Parish in Arlington Heights. "He lives on. He lives in each and everyone of you."
Calicchio's 16-year-old daughter Mia, who now lives with her mother in Peoria, Arizona, said she was grateful so many remember her father.
"Even though my dad and I didn't have a typical father daughter relationship, he still taught me a lot of things," she said, her voice breaking. "He has taught me to value all my relationships. He taught always to be positive. And he has taught me to live every day to its fullest."
Calicchio's childhood friends, brothers Mike and Peter Phillips, were the main organizers of the initiative that raised about $4,300 for the "Calicchio Court" memorial. Those in attendance came from as far as Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Connecticut.
"At first I didn't realize how many people would become part of this," Michael Phillips said. "By the end I had an idea, because we spread the word on Facebook and social media. It's really a testament to how many people remember him."
After the dedication, the group went to Eddie's Restaurant in Arlington Heights, where Calicchio and his co-workers often gathered at the end of the workweek.
Arlington Heights sewer worker Erik Danielczyk said Calicchio, his friend and mentor, had an indefatigable work ethic. He also had a fun-loving personality that made work enjoyable every day, he said.
"I think of Mike every day," Danielczyk said. "He just had that personality about him. It was just magnetic."