Local legend turns 45 for the second time

If you've ever met Skip Kronberg, you'd never guess he was turning 90 today. To confuse matters even more, he's the kind of guy who'd probably tell you that he's just turned 45 for the second time.

Born April 4, 1931, in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Don Kronberg, better known as Skip, has lived quite the life. With his active lifestyle and his youthful looks, age seems to have defied him or perhaps he's the one who has defied aging.

Growing up during the Great Depression and raised mostly by a single mother, Skip's fondest memories were pick-up ball games at the nearby parks where local kids would play for hours upon hours. It was on these playgrounds that he found his love and acumen for anything with a ball. We'll get to that later...

Graduating from Austin High School in Chicago, his proudest moment was playing football at Soldier's Field in an inner city championship game, surrounded by tens of thousands of cheering fans. With an incredible memory for someone of any age, he can still recite most of the details of that game.

While he went on to proudly serve his country as a medic in the Korean War, it wasn't until he was in his 80s that he realized what a gift his service had been both to him and to his country. He now advocates tirelessly for veterans, making sure respect and remembrance is given on all patriotic holidays.

He went on to marry his wife, Cheri in 1960, and they just celebrated their 60th Anniversary this past October. Together they have 4 children and 8 grandchildren and all still live in the area.

A former bar owner and truck driver, Skip retired at age 65 and hasn't looked back since.

Once retired, he knew he had to find a way to stay active and healthy and local senior sports groups proved to be the perfect outlet.

He was lucky enough to make friends with the late Ron Cubberly who introduced him to NW Senior Softball and he hasn't looked back since. Named a Lifetime Honorary Leader, Skip had helped with setup and making out the rosters for a number of years until COVID hit.

Taking a break this past year for safety reasons, Skip just returned to the ball-field and the pitcher's diamond at the Schaumburg RecPlex this past month after having received both COVID vaccines. And while his swing was a bit rusty, his enthusiasm for the game came through loud and clear.

While COVID may have sidelined him for awhile, he made good use of some of his time in quarantine. An avid reader, he read more than 50 books this past year. Once COVID shots became available through the Veterans Office, he took it upon himself to contact every veteran that he knows to let them know of the vaccine's availability.

While there have been many good moments through the years, Skip considers his Honor Flight Chicago trip to Washington D.C. in the summer of 2017, the "highlight of his twilight." Never having previously considered the impact of his service on himself or others, he now does whatever he can to bring awareness to the sacrifices made by the veterans. You may have even seen him walking back and forth down Golf Road in Hoffman Estates proudly waving his large American Flag at some point over the last few years.

With hundreds of friends, that's right hundreds of friends, Skip is someone that you just can't help liking. Always doing "splendid" when asked, he is that rare gem that looks you in the eye when he says "thank you" so that you know that he really means it.

You'd never know he's turning 90 by looking at him or watching him in action. With the grip of a man a quarter of his age, he remains a force to be reckoned with and the most likable of guys.