Jerome A Serak

Jerome “Jerry” Serak (Born Jerome Szterpakiewicz), age 82, of Palatine, Illinois, passed away on Thursday, December 14, 2023. Born December 11, 1941, in Hungary. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents Mikolaj and Helen Szterpakiewicz. He leaves behind his wife, Diane, and his three sons - James (Christine) Serak, Christopher (Julie) Serak, and Randall (Ryan Folk) Serak, seven grandchildren – Nicholas, Jessika, Alexander, Jacquelyn, Courtney, Samantha, and Hannah – and three great grandchildren – Lilly, Solana, and Selene.

Jerry is also survived by his five sisters - Halina (Zenon dec.) Swierzy, Wanda (Nicholas dec.) Elinsky, Ursula (Dennis) Gallas, Jessica Hanley, and Mary (Richard) Bettinson. Jerry came to the U.S. at 10 years old with his parents and four of his sisters. They escaped from a WWII internment camp with the help of an army officer that served with his father in WWI. Working their way to the U.S., they stopped in New York City for one month before they were sponsored by a Polish Refugee Organization to come to Chicago. This early experience may have sparked his life-long interest in anything related to world history, in particular European history. He could frequently be found reading 1000-page books and relaying his knowledge – in Polish and English.That said, as a 10-year-old boy fluent in Polish, Jerry had to learn English, which he said he did by watching T.V. although attending Holy Trinity Grade School may have also helped. Jerry began working on remodeling and handyman jobs at age 12 where he picked up his lifelong ‘Do-It-Yourself’ spirit. By saving money over the summer and working for the school during the year, he was able to put himself through Gordon Tech High School. When Jerry turned 18, he went before a Judge to be sworn in as a Citizen of the United States. The Judge looked at his long hard to pronounce name and gave him 30 minutes to come up with something shorter. Jerry thought about it and decided on consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant and Szterpakiewicz became Serak.

After graduating high school, Jerry went to work as a bank teller for Fairfield Savings and Loan. Jerry met his wife, Diane, through a mutual friend while still in high school. A couple of proms later, it did not take long for the relationship to blossom. Married at 20, by age 22 he had two children with the third arriving when he was twenty-six.

He began working his way up at the Savings and Loan into management positions by taking night classes and taking on all opportunities offered. To earn additional money, Jerry worked part-time nights as a bartender at his brother-in-law’s bar. When the time came to move his aging parents and in-laws out of the city, he along with his brother-in-law, John, purchased both of their 6-flat apartment buildings in Chicago. As a way of giving back to his community and helping the Polish-speaking members, Jerry was the secretary of the local Polish National Alliance Lodge for 20 years. He was always available to give advice and answer any questions.

Jerry continued to work at Fairfield Savings for 25 years, eventually becoming a Vice President and Branch Manager. Then following his entrepreneurial instincts, he left to buy his own business. Jerry, along with his friend and partner, Eugene Karp, bought Bade Paper Products, a wholesale paper and chemical supply company. Together, they grew the company to be prosperous for the next 20 years. When the opportunity came, Jerry bought out his partner and continued to work for another fourteen years until he was 75 years old when he sold the company.

One of the benefits of the business was being able to travel the world. Jerry and Diane were fortunate enough to attend the Olympics in Barcelona and Atlanta. They enjoyed traveling to tropical places, like Costa Rica, Fiji, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Bali. Jerry and Diane were also able to go to Sydney, Australia; Whistler, Canada; Nice, France; Monaco; and all over Europe and the United States; the United Kingdom; and several cruises. However, with all the traveling he was lucky to experience, if Jerry was with Diane, he was happy.

He loved being active and playing all sports including basketball, baseball, football, and hockey, which he did frequently in the driveway with his boys and their neighborhood friends as they were growing up. He maintained that sports passion for the Chicago sports teams frequently watching Cubs baseball and Bears football. He also taught his boys key handyman skills like plumbing, electrical and carpentry, and instilled his hard work ethic at the same time. As he got older, he enjoyed playing golf and bowling with his friends: Jim, Babe, Joe, and Ed. Jerry always looked forward to spending his winters in Rancho Mirage, California, with his wife and anyone whom they would welcome into their home. Jerry’s life was one of family commitment, hard work, a do-it yourself mentality always taking satisfaction in accomplishments whether large or small. He passionately pursued and lived the American dream and left a legacy for his family to build on.

A visitation for Jerome will be held Tuesday, December 19, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Malec & Sons Funeral Home, 6000 North Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646. A visitation will occur from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at 2400 - Malec & Sons Funeral Home, 6000 North Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646. A chapel prayers will occur Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 9:30 AM, 6000 North Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646. A funeral mass will occur Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 10:00 AM at St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, 6020 W. Ardmore Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60646. A committal service will occur Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 12:30 PM at Maryhill Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleum, 8600 N. Milwaukee Ave.,, Niles, IL 60714.