Former owner of Gee N Jays in Elgin remembered for his kindness

Countless Elginites have memories of eating ice cream and burgers at Gee N Jays, where the nice owner would give free treats and allow you not to pay if you didn't have the money.

That owner was Gerhard "Gary" Niefnecker, 82, who died April 28 after living for about two years at The Vines Senior Homes in Elgin. He suffered from multiple health issues and died after being diagnosed with COVID-19, said his stepdaughter Marina Ackmann.

"He never judged ... If somebody did something, it was, 'Well, they must have had a reason,'" she said. "He was just a really nice man."

The news of Niefnecker's death prompted many to share memories on Facebook about chocolate sodas, triple cheeseburgers and a Donkey Kong video game while reminiscing about his kindness and ever-present smile.

One person said Niefnecker used to give her bags of ice cream for her co-workers at the nearby old Sherman Hospital. Another person recalled how Niefnecker gave free ice cream cones to kids walking home from school.

He immigrated at age 17 from Frankfurt, Germany, landed by boat at Ellis Island and joined a relative in Elgin. He worked at Elgin National Watch Company, then ran a Dairy Queen in St. Charles until he opened Gee N Jays at 925 Dundee Ave. in the early 1970s, Ackmann said.

As for the restaurant's name, "He had a friend named Jack. He was not part of Gee N Jays, but some old woman said that would be a good name to name it, because they had been friends," Ackmann said

Niefnecker hired high school students who worked during summers until they graduated from college. Students from nearby Larsen Middle School also worked there at lunchtime as part of a school credit program, Ackmann said.

Niefnecker sold the restaurant to an employee in the late 1990s after he lost the use of his right arm when a container for making whipped cream exploded, Ackmann said.

The restaurant had other owners over the years and eventually became a Chinese restaurant that also serves sweet treats, such as sundaes and banana splits. The business says it's temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

Gee N Jays became a family business after Niefnecker married his late wife, Renate, in the late 1970s, Ackmann said. The couple had gone to grade school together and reunited by chance during a visit home to Germany after he'd moved to the United States and she'd moved to Canada, Ackmann said.

Niefnecker never failed to be patient and understanding, his stepdaughter said. "For me to love this man as much as I did, considering I was a teenager and I had a father ... There was just something special about him. I don't think anybody really has a bad memory of him."

The day Niefnecker died, Ackmann and her daughter watched through the window after having spent the day sitting outside, she said. Ackmann said she asked the senior home, who'd put him in isolation, not to take him to a hospital because she knew she wouldn't be able to see him anymore before he died.

"It was really difficult, but I was so happy he was not in pain," she said. "They made sure he was taken care of very, very well."

Kristie Ray, a registered nurse and co-owner of The Vines Senior Homes, said staff members will miss Niefnecker's smile, storytelling and joyful attitude. "He was a very caring man. We were blessed to have him in our home."