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One of original Pesche clan of Des PLaines dies in Florida

Ferdinand 'Fred' Pesche ~ 1920-2009

The namesake of one of Des Plaines' landmark businesses, Pesche's Flower Shop & Greenhouses, has died.

Ferdinand R. Pesche, known as Fred, passed away Jan. 5 in Ocala, Fla. The former 50-year resident of Des Plaines, who helped grow the nursery business alongside his 10 siblings, was 88.

It was their father, Ferdinand N. Pesche (also called Fred), who started the business in 1923, when he purchased five acres in Des Plaines. He and his wife, Helen, brought their young family from Evanston, and as the family expanded, they all pitched in.

"We all had our jobs," says Mary Skala of Des Plaines, one of the younger siblings. "Two of my sisters worked the house and the rest of us worked in the greenhouses."

Her brother, Fred, was a "grower," though as one of only two brothers among nine sisters, he also was relied on to fix machinery and help out with any other problems.

During the Depression, the family raised cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce, which they sold from a farm stand and delivered to local businesses.

In the spring, they sold spring bedding plants and cut flowers, and it was that end of the business that eventually took over.

Skala recalls that during the 1940s, Des Plaines was known as the 'City of Roses,' for its many greenhouses. Fred Pesche Sr. carved out a niche for his business by growing carnations and later chrysanthemums.

"We grew lots and lots of carnations," Skala said. "We would cut 5,000 carnations a couple times a week and take them to the (Chicago) markets."

During World War II, Mr. Pesche served with the Army infantry, seeing action in North Africa and Italy. While he was away, the family turned to German prisoners of war in Camp Pine, a German POW camp just outside of Des Plaines, for a labor force.

After the war, the Pesche family expanded their retail flower shop to include a grocery store, which Mr. Pesche's brother, Frank, helped run. About the same time, in 1948, Mr. Pesche married his first wife, Adeline.

Their family would grow to include seven children before Adeline Pesche died from complications related to diabetes. Once again, his large family and many sisters helped care for his young children, before Mr. Pesche married his second wife, Shirley.

Together, their blended family included 12 children and they grew up much as their aunts and uncles had, living above the store and helping with the business.

For the next 20 years, Mr. Pesche worked with his siblings to expand the business, to include a nursery, garden center and landscaping services. It was eventually named one of the top 100 FTD florists in the country.

He and his wife also looked for new markets in Wisconsin. They opened Pesche's Greenhouse in Lake Geneva in 1970, and Mr. Pesche commuted there every week from Des Plaines, before he sold it to his son, Robert.

Mr. Pesche is survived by his wife, Shirley, their 12 children, 21 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Visitation is 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Oehler Funeral Home, 2099 Miner St., before a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Mary Church, 794 Pearson St., both in Des Plaines.

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