'He lived and died Buffalo Grove': Village honors longtime volunteer Ernie Karge

Over the years, Buffalo Grove's linchpin has been its volunteers, and one of its most reliable was Ernie Karge.

A mainstay in the life of the community, Karge recently died at age 89. The village board this week honored his decades of service.

The board's proclamation notes he was one of the main architects of the Buffalo Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, serving as its director at one point.

He was a member of the Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove for nearly 40 years. During that time, he maintained perfect attendance, served as the club's president in 1982-1983 and was named the Rotarian of the Decade for the 1990s.

Karge also served 24 years on Buffalo Grove's board of fire and police commissioners and he and his wife, Joan, were chosen in 2005 as grand marshals of the Buffalo Grove Days Parade. It was a fitting honor, since the couple were instrumental in the creation of the Buffalo Grove Days Dinner and Dance, the Taste of Buffalo Grove and the Buffalo Grove Days Pancake Breakfast.

The Karges later were selected as recipients of the Bill Reid Community Service Award in 2013.

Former Buffalo Grove police Chief Steve Balinski received the proclamation on Karge's behalf Monday.

"When you talk about Ernie Karge, you talk about one of the biggest things that Rotary is about - that's about service above self," he said.

"This man was such an outstanding individual, not only to Rotary but to the community of Buffalo Grove," Balinski added. "He lived and died Buffalo Grove."