Obituary of Albert Gerald Wiatrowski

Albert Gerald “Jerry” Wiatrowski, age 76, passed away on March 25, 2018 surrounded by his family at the Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Jerry was born April 27, 1941 in Waukegan, Illinois, baptized at Immaculate Conception Parish in Waukegan, and grew up in Zion, Illinois.  Jerry met his future wife, Carole (née Miller), in kindergarten in 1946 at the College Building in Zion and they were married on June 20, 1964 at the Memorial Methodist Church in Zion and they settled in Waukegan to raise their family.  He was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church in Waukegan.

Jerry graduated from Zion-Benton Township High School in 1959.  He played saxophone in the ZB high school band, was a member of the ZB high school golf team, was the caddy master at Glen Flora Country Club, and earned a Chick Evans Scholarship enabling him to attend the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.  In 1972, he graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Public Accounting while working a full time job and raising his family.

He began playing the saxophone in the third grade and eventually took lessons from Otto Graham. As an adult Jerry continued to play alto saxophone in the Waukegan Municipal Band and was also a longtime member of the American Federation of Musicians Local No. 284.  Throughout his life, and especially during retirement, he and Carole enjoyed attending a wide variety of concerts throughout the Lake County area, including Ravinia Festival and the Friends of the Waukegan Public Library summer outdoor music series.

Jerry became a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in 1970 which he achieved while employed at Thacker Engineering in Waukegan.  Jerry’s career as a land surveyor spanned over four decades where his expertise was valued by many employers, including R.E. Allen & Associates; North Shore Sanitary District; Edward J. Molloy & Associates; Spaceco, Inc.; and TFW Surveying & Mapping, Inc.  Jerry’s professional skills evolved from slide rule, to calculator, to computer; from drafting table to Computer Aided Drafting software; and from surveyor’s chain to GPS assisted surveys as advancements in technology were deployed in the field of Civil Engineering.  Jerry additionally served as President of a chapter of the Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association.  Jerry retired from Abbott Laboratories (North Chicago) in 2007. 

Jerry was active in the community and was a member of the Friends of the Waukegan Public Library, the Lake County Historical Society, the History Committee of the Genesee Theatre restoration project in Waukegan, the Zion Genealogical Society, and the Waukegan Citizens Police Academy.  Jerry joined Boy Scout Troop 62 when he was in the fifth grade and enjoyed learning scouting skills, hiking, camping, and working for rank advancement.  As an adult, he was active with his three sons at Boy Scout Troop 55 at Saint Dismas church in Waukegan.

Jerry took an early interest in trains and everything related to them, including timetables, signaling systems, equipment models, routes, and operating procedures.  As a young boy he received a Standard gauge passenger train set from a relative which he enjoyed playing with.  Later, his parents bought him a brand new Lionel “O” gauge freight train set and this was the beginning of his lifelong hobby of collecting model trains.  He was a member of the Train Collectors Association (TCA) and traveling to their National Convention was the focus of many annual family vacations for years to come.

Jerry enjoyed woodworking and made bedroom furniture for each of his three children’s bedrooms at home.  He and Carole together enjoyed improving their home, maintaining their yard, and planting vegetable and flower gardens every year.  Most importantly, Jerry went through life together with his wife, side by side, making family a priority in everything they did.  Jerry was always a patient, level-headed, detail-oriented person and maintained an optimistic attitude during any challenge that life presented to him.  He was a great role model and teacher for his children and was always fair in resolving disputes with anybody.  He will be missed tremendously by his loving wife, children, and grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife Carole (née Miller); his son David Gerald (Therese); his son Douglas Raymond (Ashu) and their children Mira and Clark; his son Darrell Albert (Rachel) and their children Rylan and Reece; sister-in-law Yvonne Reinier; brothers-in-law Richard Larson and Bart Reinier; cousins, nieces, and a nephew.  He is preceded in death by his father Albert Leonard “Al” Wiatrowski, his mother Cornelia “Cora” (née Hoogenboom) Wiatrowski, and his sister JoAnn Larson (née Wiatrowski).

Family, friends, and others whose lives Jerry touched are invited to services on Tuesday, April 3, at the First United Methodist Church in Waukegan, with visitation beginning at 10:00 am and a Celebration of his Life at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at Ascension Cemetery in Libertyville.  Donations in memory of Jerry Wiatrowski may be made to either the First United Methodist Church of Waukegan, Illinois (www.fumcwaukegan.org) or Friends of the Waukegan Public Library “Concert Fund” (www.waukeganpl.org/about/friends-of-the-waukegan-public-library).  Memorial donations may be made directly to either of those organizations or checks payable to one of those organizations may be mailed to Jerry Wiatrowski ℅ David Wiatrowski, PO Box 940, Woodstock, IL 60098.