Former state senator and Bremen Township Supervisor Maggie Crotty used to take strolls, greeting people with a “Hi, buddy!”
So when a walking path behind the township’s Youth/Senior Center in Oak Forest was completed recently, it was natural that it would be dedicated to her memory.
On Saturday, that dedication became official.
“She would love this path,” said Kathryn Straniero, the current Bremen Township supervisor. “She would say, ‘That is just what I wanted for our residents.'”
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After all, Crotty, who died in November, was friends with everybody.
“When Maggie became ill, I would go and represent her at various functions,” Straniero said. “People would come up and say, ‘Tell her I said hello, I’m a good friend.’ Everyone said the same thing. How many good friends does she have? It didn’t matter where we were, everyone said the same thing.
“Everyone thought they were Maggie’s good friend. And they were.”
Many of those friends showed up to honor her at the dedication.
“Today is so deserving for Maggie” said Straniero. “Anything that we can do to remember Mag and all that she did for people. This is a tribute to her. I loved her and her family. Everything we do helps us because we truly miss her.”
Crotty and Ron Szabo started thinking about installing a walking path at the site eight years ago.
“It was a slow process but she knew what she wanted and she knew this path would happen,” Straniero said. “She also wanted a sunroom for the seniors. We’re hoping to get funding for that because that was on her bucket list.”
The walking path is a quarter of a mile and winds through an area with benches, flowering trees and shrubs.
“A lot of residents are already using the path” Straniero said. “We want to make it the most enjoyable experience that we can.”
Crotty’s sister Katie Kunis Maier fought back tears as she recalled Crotty’s battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS.
“She hid it for awhile. She had some issues but they didn’t tie it to ALS until June,” Kunis Maier said at the dedication. “We never expected this.
“This path is a perfect way to remember her. Mags was a big walker.”
Crotty’s son Keith Crotty and his family stood by benches with his mother’s name on them, calling the space dedicated to her “a great honor.”
“I speak for the whole family when I say that she would be overwhelmed by this,” he said. “She had a special place in her heart for seniors. She put a lot of time to care for them, this is fitting.
“It’s nice to see all the love and support just from the community and from her friends. That’s what days like today are about, it’s about showing their respect and how much she meant to them.”
Among the friends at the dedication were former Speaker of the Illinois House Mike Madigan, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and former state Sen. John Cullerton. The emcee was former state Rep. Terry Steczo.
“It was obvious from the time I first met her that she had natural leadership qualities” Steczo said. “Whenever and wherever she decided to get involved in projects it wasn’t too long before she was in charge. She joined her children’s PTA organization when they were in school and before long was president. Then. she ran for the school board and within a short time was board president. When she decided to run for the legislature I knew that she had the abilities and capabilities to be able to be successful, and she was.”
Rondal Jones, Crotty’s administrator at Bremen Township and a village trustee in Markham, had known her since they volunteered together in 1992, and their friendship only grew over the years.
“Maggie showed me how you can work in the political field with ethics, honor and integrity,” he said.
While a parade of political heavyweights told of Crotty’s great impact on them, Andrew Crotty remembered his grandmother for another reason.
“She was a good lady,” he said Saturday. “She let me have a lot of candy.”
Mary Compton is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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