North Shore Death Notices: June 20 To June 26

The following death notices were added to funeral homes serving the North Shore area in the past week. Those homes have provided obituaries for some of those that have passed away recently. Patch offers condolences to their loved ones, links to their obituaries and notices of upcoming services below.

Kelley & Spalding Funeral Home, 1787 Deerfield Road in Highland Park

John “Jack” Tonks, 86, Waukegan
Service July 2

Josephine Gherardini née Hughes, 102, Northbrook

Rose B. Alvarez, 96, Highwood

Geraldine “Jerry” Williamson née McDermott, 96, Wilmette

Susie Heymann, 90, Highland Park

Joseph Samuel Rafferty, 88, Libertyville

Seguin & Symonds Funeral Home, 858 Sheridan Road in Highwood and 11 West Belvidere Road in Grayslake

Cristina Lenzini, 103, Highwood

Wenban Funeral Home, 320 Vine Ave. in Lake Forest

Roland Everest Casati, 91, Lake Forest
Visitation July 6, service July 7

Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie and 195 N. Buffalo Grove Road in Buffalo Grove

Myron "Mike" Markovitz, 79, Long Grove
Service July 1

Bernard Radin, 94, Northbrook

Eugene Crane, 92, Evanston

Eugene "Gene" Leonard Chez, 89, Skokie

Bruce M. Weissman, 70, Chicago

Donnellan Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie

Mary Rose Ghislandi née O’Malley, 83, Wilmette
Service June 28

John “Jack” Kerns Lane, 82, Chicago
Service July 13

Ramona J. Petersen, 98, Wausau, Wisconsin

Barbara Gray Ruley, 83, Wilmette

Haben Funeral Home, 8057 Niles Center Road in Skokie

Gilberto T. Jumanan, 79, of Chicago
Visitation June 30 and July 1, service July 2

Angeline Rose “Angie” Liano née Battista, 93, Morton Grove

Robert Banzuly, 88, Lincolnwood

Melba Ruth Graffius Swoyer née Tenney, 77, Evanston

Thompson Funeral and Cremation, 1917 Asbury Ave. in Evanston

Mark Anthony Flowers, 45, Chicago

Evanston Funeral and Cremation, 1726 Central St. in Evanston

Bernella Diana Kindzred, 76, Evanston
Service June 29

Norma Theresa Adler, 84, Deerfield

Dick Gergerian, 74, Evanston

Shirley Ann Baker, 73, Chicago

Salvador A. Rivera, 73, Chicago

N. H. Scott & Hanekamp Funeral Home, 1240 Waukegan Road in Glenview

Ruth Carlson Rashis, 101, Skokie
Service June 28

Olga M. Biernacki née Sleznick, 87, Northbrook
Service June 29

Bette Starck, 99, Northbrook
Service July 1

Simkins Funeral Home, 6251 Dempster St. in Morton Grove

Janet L. Zerwer née May, 98, Chicago

Wonsam S. Hahn, 80, Northbrook

Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home, 111 Skokie Blvd. in Wilmette

Paul Dubrow, 102, Chicago

Riva Alkhovsky, 98, Niles

Samuel “Sam” Hart Detina, 83, Estero, Florida

Ilona Korsky, 74, Deerfield

David S. Kay, 66, Schaumburg

Featured Obituary:

Roland was born August 15th, 1930. His childhood was a world apart from his adult life. He was ten years old when he got his first bedroom. Previously his bed was the family room couch in a small apartment above the family’s candy store. When he turned eleven, he started working, changing tires and waxing cars, to help the household. He claimed this work built the muscles that gave him an advantage – always winning at arm wrestling. If you happen to have been challenged and defeated by Roland you are in good company as there was a time he challenged and beat ten Chicago Bears players in a row, including Ditka.

He went to college and ended up leaving to support himself and his future wife, Arlene Ankele. At that time an insurance adjuster would normally spend half the day inspecting and dealing with claimants and the other half writing up the claims. Though they had not yet married, Arlene and Roland were already a team. Roland reviewed insurance claims all day and Arlene did all the write-ups. This allowed him to complete twice the work, earn twice the money and exceed all expectations at the firm. They continued this way for years resulting in Roland being elected President of Heritage Insurance Co. of America.

After saving and finding the right partner Roland built his first office building in 1968. From there the rest is history. Armed with persistence, an incredible eye for design and a word as good as gold he built a real estate empire. Thirty years and ten developments later he joined three other developers and went public as the REIT, Prime Group Realty Trust. The crown jewel of which is in the heart of Chicago's financial district, One Financial Place. Roland chose the Iconic San Marco II Horse Statue that stands in the plaza. When the artist Ludovico de Luigi finished Roland flew to Italy and rode it as it floated down the canals of Venice all the way to the shipping yard. He gave the honor of riding it up the Chicago River to Ludovico. They remained friends until Roland’s passing.

Please consider for a moment the accomplished life of Roland. From sleeping on a couch above a candy store to developer of skyscrapers. The energy, the effort, the sleepless nights he paid to build an empire not in one moment but, brick by brick, building by building. Then consider that Roland applied this diligence to every endeavor in his life.

Send obituaries and images to your Patch to be included in future editions: Deerfield, Evanston, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Bluff-Lake Forest, Niles-Morton Grove, Northbrook, Skokie, Winnetka-Glencoe-Northbrook, Wilmette-Kenilworth

Last week: North Shore Death Notices: June 13 to June 19