Volume 29, Edition 2 - October 2024

lizzadrofamily
Oct 18, 2024
8 min read

Updated: Oct 20, 2024

Welcome Teddy Porter

Laura Porter

The Porters welcomed Theodore (Teddy) on July 6. The boys love their new brother, and baby is doing well!

"May You Have Many Sons" ~An Italian Blessing

Miriam Lytle

Joe and Ida welcomed their 7th blessing on August 7, 2024, Robert Joseph Lytle. He is also their third redhead!

Happy News

Jenna Mora

Mirella is going to be a big sister! We are expecting our second child at the beginning of March. We are excited to find out the baby’s gender at the anatomy scan in a couple weeks.

Congratulations, Kyle & George

George Nicholas and Kyle Procter married on July 30, 2024. Fr. Gabe provided a Catholic wedding via Zoom.

Honeymoon Across the Pond

Jenny Biechele-Speziale

John and I took our long-belated honeymoon to London in May! It was a lovely trip filled with delicious food, time with friends, and much exploration and sightseeing. We had a great time at museums, afternoon tea, strolling along the various canals that feed into the Thames, and even visiting a floating bookshop on the water! While we were both impressed by the efficiency of the bus and tube routes, we of course made sure we always minded the gap.

Weathering the Storm's Aftermath

Victoria Doyle

Like many across the United States a large portion of Gulfport experienced unprecedented flooding during Hurricane Helene. Our beautiful little downtown was destroyed by storm surge flooding. This Hurricane was a strong reminder of the power of nature and the destruction water can bring. Our house was luckily out of harm's way but we have been assisting friends and neighbors who have been impacted. The silver lining has been seeing our community come together in caring, resourceful and generous ways to help those who need it most. The Florida-based contingent of our family are all safe and well and hoping for a quick and quiet end to this hurricane season.

Top Left to Bottom Right: The Gulfport Casino during Hurricane Helene, the waves were up to 8 feet high; The Gulfport Beach Bazaar after Hurricane Helene; The Doyles and Lytles at the 40 Acres in the U.P.; Two peas in a pod, Gavia and Indigo on a Gratiot Lake boat ride with Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Jim; Cousins and Second Cousins in Eagle River, MI; Florida kids, Indigo and Mirella

UPDATE: I spoke too soon! Just over a week after Hurricane Helene, Tampa Bay was hit with Category 3 Hurricane Milton. This storm had less storm surge but much worse wind damage. Indigo, Pat, Clara, Jenna's family and I all rode the storm out at her house while my parents stayed with Meg and Gerry. The sound of the wind was terrifying as the eye of the hurricane was passing just to the south of us. Many large, beautiful shade trees were uprooted but luckily our house was spared. We were without power for 5 days in Gulfport and still do not have potable water. The destruction from both storms is evident throughout our county and it will take a long time to fully recover. We are grateful for supportive family and neighbors, they were the bright spots in the storms and a big reason why we live here.

Projects Big and Small

Zach Kelley

Hello everyone! Between traveling all over the Midwest for various celebrations and our routine schedules, it has been a very busy time for Micaiah and I. Here is an update on some of the projects we are working on.

For those of you who do not already know, I work as a structural engineer at Sidock Group, an engineering consulting and design firm in Novi, Michigan. Most of the clients I deal with are in the heavy industrial sector and include several steel mills and power plants in southeast Michigan. Occasionally, I get the opportunity to work with clients out of state and visit their facilities. One such opportunity came up in June when my boss and I went to Fort Smith, Arkansas to take a look at a few prospective projects for our office. While we were down there, I was able to see an emergency egress route I had designed in my first few months at Sidock (anything with the yellow handrails in the pictures). It was amazing and satisfying to see a project I had been a part of through the design & fabrication processes finally installed and in use in the field.

We have also started another project of our own last year when we took on the task to finish our basement and install a new ½ bathroom. We decided to do it ourselves to save a little money on labor costs and learn some new skills along the way (except for any electrical and plumbing). The two photos below are from May 2023 and August 2024. It has been a long process, but we work on it when we have the time, money and energy for it. All that is left for the half bathroom right now is a little bit of painting and installing the toilet and vanity!

Cruising the Mediterranean

John, Reva, John Jr., Caron, Tony, Tanya, John 3, Taylor, Justin and Cooper

Lost & Found

Louis L. Lizzadro

As many of you may already know we recently had to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to Galileo, an amazing member of our family for sixteen years. We adopted Galileo from the West Suburban Humane Society in Downers Grove, IL back in 2008. He fit in with our family like a glove. He loved hiking in Michigan, going for walks, and being a goofball. He was also a foster “uncle” to over 70 dogs and puppies over the last ten years. He was our “puppy”, “buddy”, and “baby boy”. He was the best walking partner anyone could ask for and motivated us to take him out around the neighborhood almost daily. Christine, Eli and Mya were with us at the house, and we FaceTimed Louie so he could share the last hours, minutes, and seconds with Galileo. We miss him dearly.

Some of you met the newest member of the Lizzadro Family, Naperville Division, Lily (formerly Peaches). Lily came to us with her two sisters, Pumpkin and Persimmon back in September 2023. These are the same three that we wrote about in last Fall’s newsletter. Well, we decided to adopt Lily aka Peaches. She just turned 1 year old in August. Lily is 50% Pit Bull, 37% American Staffordshire Terrier, and 13% Bulldog. No eye rolling here, the group of breeds that encompass what is essentially the Pit Bull Trademark gets a bad rap, primarily due to bad pet-parents. These dogs are high-energy, extremely loyal, and very intelligent. If you are not motivated and educated on how to direct their energy and include them in family activities, they can become difficult to manage and potentially dangerous. Also, since they are very smart and take to training very quickly, if someone trains them to do bad things, they will act on that training.

Lily is probably the smartest and sweetest dog we have ever been around. She has taken well to training cues, is a dream in the car, loves the lake and Michigan in general, enjoys playing (all the time), and has bonded well with our family. She goes with us to Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Starbuck’s, Target, walks in downtown Geneva, Calumet, and soon Naperville, and has even been to the grocery store a time or two. Everyone who meets Lily is greeted by a friendly smile and a wagging tail. We are so happy to have been chosen by her and look forward to many interesting and exciting years ahead.

Monarch Butterfly

A friend sent this letter to me but I think it would pertain to many in our family. Angela

Hi, Ms. A.,

You are a butterfly. The Monarch butterfly starts out as a caterpillar, then it is larvae, chrysalis, and turns into liquid. The metamorphosis of this butterfly is your life.

Compare it to the whole transition of its life to your long and beautiful life. I know, I know you don't feel like this unbelievable soaring animal becoming who it was designed to be, but you are!

The beginning, the transition into another being slowly, but surely transforming into an indescribable stunning animal. (i know it's considered to be an insect, but it is also known to be an animal). Your large colorful wings have touched and inspired so many people.

Think about that when you are pondering your life. I call you my Mother Teresa. You have lived your life giving back to everyone you meet; even today! So many people's lives have been graciously touched and became who they were meant to be because of you.

Thank you, Mrs. Anderson.

Love, Linda Lee

Preserve Elmhurst

Amy Wheeler

Who knew that when I knocked on few neighbor’s doors last March because a beautiful and

well kept and loved house (292 S Arlington) was slated to be torn down, it would result in this

movement. We are now called Citizens For Elmhurst Preservation.

If you happen to be driving through Elmhurst and see these signs, this is what it’s all about and

there is more to come.

Grandmother Mary’s 90th Birthday Gathering

Joe Lizzadro

I have 2 extra copies of the Family Gathering for Grandmother Mary’s 90th Birthday Party at Ruth Lake Country Club in 2000. Let me know by text or email if you would like one of the pictures. They measure 14 by 11 inches.

Fall Family Meeting – November 30

Joe Lizzadro

Our Annual Fall Family meeting will be held this year on Saturday, November 30, in the Board Room of L&H Company, 1220 Kensington, Suite 210, Oak Brook. We will hear presentations of the operations at Lizzadro Family Foundation, Lizzadro Museum and Gratiot Lake Conservancy.

The meeting will begin at 10:00 AM and should be concluded by noon. We will provide a lite buffet lunch at noon. This meeting will be in-person and by Microsoft Teams for remote access. Your questions in advance are always helpful.

Please let me know by text or email if you expect to attend in person.

Gratiot Lake Preserve Expands

Bonnie Hay

GLC’s big news : two additions of land to the Gratiot Lake Preserve were recently completed. Thanks to the generosity of family, Lizzadro Farms finalized the gift of approximately 225 acres, most of it upland, on the more inhabited (by people!) side of the lake (in sec. 8) and 16 acres+ mixed forest with about 300 feet of shoreline in the SE Corner of the lake (in sec. 17) bounded on one edge by Sager Court (off of Iron Gate RD). Daniel Lizzadro-McPherson has identified important geological features along Nine Thirty-two Creek which cuts though the sec. 8 parcel. Development of a trail more easily accessible by lake residents may be possible across that land.

In September, GLC closed on a small wetlands parcel with 300 feet shoreline which abuts the Sager Court parcel recently donated by LFI. Those of you old enough will remember it as Elmo Negro’s land where he frequently had a little shack on a raft moored offshore for the summer. Funds for this purchase came from the GLC Land Acquisition Fund and general fund built by donations from family and friends of the conservancy. Both the LFI land transfer and Negro parcel purchase were implemented through the work of Gina Nicholas and Louis Lizzadro, kudos to them! Daniel is completing a map of GLC lands which will soon be shared in the Water’s Edge Newsletter and at the Family Meeting in November… so stay tuned.

Donations of any amount and memberships from family members are always appreciated and needed. That said, family members who are considering making bigger year-end donations of $500 or more are encouraged to bundle two or three year’s planned donation into this year. The reason is that, starting in 2025, GLC is working on upping the ratio of non-family donations vs. to family donations to the conservancy in order to move towards achieving public charity status instead of private foundation non-profit status. We will explain more about the advantages of this move at the family meeting… or please reach out to Lou or to me.

I am very grateful for Dan and Amanda’s assistance with planning and implementing GLC programs this year. The kayak /geology Gratiot tour was successful albeit more windy and choppy conditions than hoped for… folks got a paddling work-out. Night sky watch was well planned but weather didn’t cooperate… twice! Thanks to all family members who pitched in for shoreline clean-up, too.

All for now. See you at the Family Meeting and please reach out to me if you are not receiving GLC emails or newsletter. Thanks!