Blackhawks CEO's father dies at 99

The father of John McDonough, president and CEO of the Chicago Blackhawks, has passed away.

John D. McDonough was just two weeks shy of his 99th birthday. He died on Monday at an assisted living facility in Park Ridge.

“When they live to be nearly 99, you think you'll have them forever,” said his oldest daughter, Mary Lou Bernero of Arlington Heights.

Mr. McDonough was the youngest of 10 children, whose parents were natives of County Mayo in Ireland, and he — and his son, family members say — drew their engaging personalities and skill at working with people from their Irish roots.

“He had a wit about him, like no other,” his daughter adds.

Mr. McDonough began his career as an Illinois State Police officer. But after marrying his wife, Eleanor, and with a family of two children and another on the way, he was persuaded to find a safer career.

In 1952 he landed a job as the maitre d' on the Super Chief, the luxury train that was the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe Railway fleet of passenger trains.

The Super Chief, which ran between Chicago and Los Angeles from the mid 1930s to 1971, featured some of the best dining and sleeping accommodations in passenger rail. Consequently it attracted the rich and famous, including Hollywood celebrities.

“My dad had an illustrious career, and he enjoyed every minute of it,” Bernero says.

During his retirement years, he loved to tell of the stars he had met and served, from Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, to Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable and Eve Arden.

Mr. McDonough and his wife were born and raised on the South side of Chicago but they moved to the Edison Park neighborhood in 1955 to raise their family. In more recent years, they lived in Park Ridge.

Despite Mr. McDonough's South side roots, he was a die-hard Cubs fan, family members say, and he took great pride when his son worked with the franchise. The younger McDonough was marketing director and then president.

“My Dad loved going to the Cubs games,” Bernero says. “He and my mother entertained friends in the skyboxes; they had a great time.”

By the time John F. McDonough left the Cubs to become president of the Blackhawks in 2007, his father was too frail to travel to the games, family members say.

However, after the team won the Stanley Cup last year, and brought it back to Chicago, John F. McDonough brought the trophy to the senior residence where his father lived, for him to see.

Mr. McDonough was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor, who died in 1992. Besides his daughter, he is survived by another daughter, Kathi of Mount Prospect and his son, John F. McDonough of Elk Grove Village, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held 4-9 p.m. Tuesday at Ryan-Parke Funeral Home, 120 S. Northwest Highway in Park Ridge, before a 10 a.m. funeral Mass on Wednesday at St. Juliana's Church, 7201 N. Oketo Ave., in Chicago.