Beloved Community Member, Fritz's Owner Dies

MANHATTAN, IL — A beloved community member and business owner in Manhattan has died. Jason Been, 44, passed away Aug. 26 after a 2-year battle with brain cancer.

According to his obituary, Been was a life-long member of the Manhattan community and a long-time owner of Fritz's Saloon. His passion of racing was accomplished alongside his great friend, Steve at Spiess Racing and Spiess Construction.

Been served in various positions in the community, including as a township board member and sponsor of many local teams, charities and fundraisers. He is survived by his wife Jill (Dite) Been; children Bella, Marley and Drake; parents Rich and Marsha (Wennlund) Been; sister Amy (Brian) Guzek; brother Nick Been; parents-in-law Butch and Sue (Borchardt) Dite; and many uncles, aunts, cousins, and by many nephews and nieces.

Been was preceded in death by his grandparents Richard Been Jr., Donna (Davis) Been, Donald Wennlund and Gertrude (Carlson) Wennlund, Aunt JoAnn (Wennlund) McCullough, and Uncle Russ Been.

Visitation will be Friday, Aug. 30, at Forsythe Gould Funeral Home from 4 to 8 p.m. The family encourages all to wear their favorite Cubs gear to the funeral home on Friday, as Been was an avid Cubs fan.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 508 N. Cedar Road, New Lenox, with Rev. Douglas Hoag officiating. Family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Interment Wilton Cemetery, Wilton Center. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jason's memory to Jill Been for the purpose of future college expenses would be most appreciated.

Fritz's Saloon is also planning JasonFest, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 12 at the saloon, 225 S. State St. Proceeds from the event will go directly to the Been family. Tickets are $25, and will include beer, pop, water, live music, auctions and other activities.