My pal Lou Georgetta died yesterday at age 66. I've known Lou a good 25 years, maybe longer. Lou was one of those guys who felt like family the minute you met him -- so warm and kind.
Lou was the only other person I knew who was a card-carrying member of the old Chicagoland Sports Collectors Association. I joined the CSCA in 1978 and attended as many of their card shows as I could at the old Hillside Holiday Inn in Suburban Chicago. Lou was there as well. We reminisced about those days regularly.
Lou was one of the biggest hockey fans I knew and sold hockey cards and memorabilia at many card shows, including the Woodstock show, the old Gonzaga Hall shows, Fred Copp's old shows, Orland Park, Schaumburg and he made it up to my Oak Creek show a couple of time.
He would have attended more shows but diabetes and related illnesses held him back. He unfortunately spent months at a time in hospitals and rehab facilities. Through it all, he was always positive. He would call me and an hour would go by in a blink of an eye. He would say that he was planning to set up at a show soon. I always looked forward to seeing him and was lucky enough to see him regularly.
As you know, I too, have diabetes. It is a beast of a disease and will swallow you whole. One of the many effects of diabetes is that it hampers your ability to heal from injury and slows your blood circulation. Lou was hard hit and could not move around very well. His awesome son Anthony took him to shows the past several years. I just saw Anthony last weekend in Rosemont and he said his dad was getting ready to set up at a show soon. Lou was always preparing for the next show.
Lou grew up on the Northwest Side of Chicago and attended St. Patrick's High School. He had a great Chicago accent when he spoke. I always thought he should have been a sportscaster with that great voice and incredible sports knowledge.
Later, he served on the Franklin Park Village Board. Franklin Park is a small Chicago suburb located just southeast of O'Hare Airport. When Lou was in Franklin Park, I was living nearby on the Northwest Side of Chicago and regularly used Franklin Park as a shortcut around the near Northwest suburbs. Any time my car would hit a pothole, I would kid Lou that he needed to fix all the roads in his town. He would laugh.
Another great thing about Lou is that he always looked out for me. When I had my falling out with John Leary, former promoter of the Orland show, back in 2014, Lou was the first to call and tell me that John was an idiot. When John sold the show to Rich, it was Lou who got me back in there by urging Rich to give me a call and invite me back to the show. If not for Lou, I probably would have never gone back to the Orland show.
Also, back in the fall of 2020, when every card show shut down, it was Lou who got me back setting up by informing me that the Schaumburg show was back. Oh, it was so good to be back at a show after that five-month COVID hiatus and hanging out with Lou.
I was heartbroken when my pal Donny called to let me know Lou had died. The thought of not seeing Lou, not talking with Lou, not having a laugh with Lou is devasting. My sympathies to Donny, who was very close with Lou and was at his side at most every card show. Condolences to Lou's family and all of his friends. We lost a good one. Man, was I lucky to know Lou and call him my friend. I will miss you Lou!
Visitation is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Sax-Tiedemann Funeral Home 9568 W. Belmont Ave., Franklin Park, IL. Chicago Cubs attire preferred!!
Lou was the only other person I knew who was a card-carrying member of the old Chicagoland Sports Collectors Association. I joined the CSCA in 1978 and attended as many of their card shows as I could at the old Hillside Holiday Inn in Suburban Chicago. Lou was there as well. We reminisced about those days regularly.
Lou was one of the biggest hockey fans I knew and sold hockey cards and memorabilia at many card shows, including the Woodstock show, the old Gonzaga Hall shows, Fred Copp's old shows, Orland Park, Schaumburg and he made it up to my Oak Creek show a couple of time.
He would have attended more shows but diabetes and related illnesses held him back. He unfortunately spent months at a time in hospitals and rehab facilities. Through it all, he was always positive. He would call me and an hour would go by in a blink of an eye. He would say that he was planning to set up at a show soon. I always looked forward to seeing him and was lucky enough to see him regularly.
As you know, I too, have diabetes. It is a beast of a disease and will swallow you whole. One of the many effects of diabetes is that it hampers your ability to heal from injury and slows your blood circulation. Lou was hard hit and could not move around very well. His awesome son Anthony took him to shows the past several years. I just saw Anthony last weekend in Rosemont and he said his dad was getting ready to set up at a show soon. Lou was always preparing for the next show.
Lou grew up on the Northwest Side of Chicago and attended St. Patrick's High School. He had a great Chicago accent when he spoke. I always thought he should have been a sportscaster with that great voice and incredible sports knowledge.
Later, he served on the Franklin Park Village Board. Franklin Park is a small Chicago suburb located just southeast of O'Hare Airport. When Lou was in Franklin Park, I was living nearby on the Northwest Side of Chicago and regularly used Franklin Park as a shortcut around the near Northwest suburbs. Any time my car would hit a pothole, I would kid Lou that he needed to fix all the roads in his town. He would laugh.
Another great thing about Lou is that he always looked out for me. When I had my falling out with John Leary, former promoter of the Orland show, back in 2014, Lou was the first to call and tell me that John was an idiot. When John sold the show to Rich, it was Lou who got me back in there by urging Rich to give me a call and invite me back to the show. If not for Lou, I probably would have never gone back to the Orland show.
Also, back in the fall of 2020, when every card show shut down, it was Lou who got me back setting up by informing me that the Schaumburg show was back. Oh, it was so good to be back at a show after that five-month COVID hiatus and hanging out with Lou.
I was heartbroken when my pal Donny called to let me know Lou had died. The thought of not seeing Lou, not talking with Lou, not having a laugh with Lou is devasting. My sympathies to Donny, who was very close with Lou and was at his side at most every card show. Condolences to Lou's family and all of his friends. We lost a good one. Man, was I lucky to know Lou and call him my friend. I will miss you Lou!
Visitation is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Sax-Tiedemann Funeral Home 9568 W. Belmont Ave., Franklin Park, IL. Chicago Cubs attire preferred!!
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