Edward Michalak, 76, of Huntley, died peacefully in his home on Saturday, September 16, 2023, with his family by his side.
Ed is survived by Martha, his beloved wife of 52 years, his children, Daniel (Jennifer) Michalak, and Amy (Anthony Mireles) Michalak, his grandchildren, Ashton, Michael and Sarah Michalak, and his brother Robert (Annette) Michalak.
Visitation will be Friday, September 22, 2023, from 10 a.m. to time of memorial service at 11 a.m. all at DeFiore Funeral Home, 10763 Dundee Road, Huntley.
For further information, please contact the DeFiore Funeral Home, 847-515-8772
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Dear Michalaks and family, We are so sorry for your loss. Ed was such a sweet man. We pray for your comfort and peace. Many blessings and much love to you, Greg and Cindy
Greg and Cindy Pagliuzza's Condolence message for Ed includes the following statement: "Ed was such a sweet man." That statement struck me when I read it. It seemed to sum up and encompass Ed's persona. It got me to start thinking about the specifics of Ed's character that would make him a "sweet man". For example, as brothers, we grew up and lived together for 24 years, and I could not recall ever having any disagreement with Ed or any argument or any anger with him, or that he had with me. If he did, he never showed it. As I began to think of other examples, I decided to do a little research on the topic of what it means to be a sweet man. I came across an author, Lachlan Brown, who lists 12 characteristics of what he believes it means to be a sweet man. Those characteristics are: - easy to please, - quick to forgive, - a life's mission: to make people happy, - never wanting to hurt people by the things he did, - helping others, - always adding a little extra something to everything, - not taking things for granted - empathetic (now, you might notice that everything on this list so far vaguely paints the picture of a person who is mindful towards others, and it is hard to be mindful if you can't be bothered to feel for and understand other people. It seemed to me that Ed always did, - a wonderful outlook. There is no better example of this Ed's ready response whenever asked how he was doing. He would always respond quickly with ":Fine" or "I'm doing well", despite his declining physical capabilities. - happiness, smiling. Ed's last cognitive response, days before his death was a simple smile, - intimacy. Ed didn't shy away from giving hugs and the like. His last spoken words were a simple "I love you", and - a childlike curiosity, with open-mindedness and understanding. All of these were characteristics that I saw, to some degree, in Ed. He was, indeed, a sweet man. -------- I want to thank Mickey for her years of sacrifices, her hard work and the almost inexhaustible energy she put in to taking care of and comforting Ed. And, to Dan and Amy - and to Ashton - for their assistance and support that they provided. God bless.