Mike Szczepaniak: Family Man, Bears Fan to the End

Mike Szczepaniak touched everyone – even Walter Payton’s daughter -- with his quiet demeanor and big smile.

Szczepaniak died Oct. 6 of pancreatic cancer. He was 49.

His reputation as a diehard Bears fan was well-known in Woodridge. His father bought season tickets in 1975 and he rarely missed a game since. Szczepaniak had two Bears jackets (plus a lamp, jerseys, gear and other memorabilia), one of which he always wore to work. 

When Patch asked for a diehard Bears fan to interview before the Bears vs. Packers NFC championship showdown,

So it was a special moment for Szczepaniak when Brittney Payton came to visit him at the Walter Payton Liver Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. 

It was good to see that people were still Bears fans and still fans of her father’s, Payton told him. Szczepaniak reminded Payton of her father. She gave him a Walter Payton jersey, which Szczepaniak was buried in.

At the Walter Payton Liver Center Gala on Oct. 22, Payton spoke of the impact Szczepaniak had on her life. She had just learned of his death. She started to cry. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, according to Szczepaniak’s liver specialist, who attended the event.

While he loved Chicago sports, Szczepaniak's priority was his family: his wife, Sherri, and his two sons, Mitch, 27, and Dustin, 25.

“He loved his boys,” Sherri Szczepaniak said. “Whatever they were doing, if it meant doing something with his boys, he was there. He was their best friend and they were his best friends. They were his biggest passion."

She said similar family values drew her to her husband.

Mike grew up in the Wooridge area. He played football for and was named most valuable player in a season when DGS lost every single game, Sherri said. 

He received a scholarship offer to play for Northern State University in South Dakota. That’s where he met Sherri, who was a junior when he was a freshman. She grew up in South Dakota.

Sherri planned to go to college for two years and just receive her associate’s degree. But she changed her mind and went on for a bachelor's degree. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have met Mike. 

“It was my junior year that I met Mike,” she said. “I met him on his birthday.”

They lived on the same floor of their dorm and hung out in the same group of friends.

“We got along because I was more social and outgoing and he was quiet,” she said. “Opposites attract, I guess.”

But they were also very similar.

“I remember calling my mom and saying we had the same family values,” she said. “He was very family-oriented. His family was just like ours.”

They married after Sherri graduated from college. They lived in South Dakota, where Mitch was born. Then they moved back to Illinois so Mike could become a carpenter, like his father. 

He worked construction in downtown Chicago before landing a job at DePaul University. This would be a cakewalk, Sherri teased.

The family has strong ties to the Woodridge community. 

Mike refereed for high school football games as well as games for younger athletes. 

Both Mitch and Dustin worked in the Woodridge  department. Dustin is a former seasonal employee and Mitch is a current full-time employee. Dustin is now working on his master’s degree from DePaul.

Sherri works in an office directly across from Memorial Park. To remember Mike, friends purchased a tree to be planted there, in a location Sherri can see from her desk. There will be a plaque beneath the tree in Mike’s honor.

It’s a red sunset maple. Mitch picked it out.

“Now I’ll always be able to look outside and see Mike’s tree from my desk,” Sherri said.

Because Mike was a union carpenter, he did not receive pay when he took off work for his illness. To help the family pay for medical and funeral expenses, the have organized at . 

The cost of pre-sale tickets for adults is $20 ($25 at door) and $10 for children 12 & under. The price includes food, soft drinks and entertainment.

There will be a bags tournament from 2 to 4 p.m.

There are also several raffle items including signed framed Bears jerseys (Ditka, Urlacher) and footballs (Hampton, Fencik) and a Samsung 46” Black Flat Screen LCD-HDTV.

Raffle tickets for the TV are $15 each. The winner does not need to be present to win. (By the way, another TV has been added for the raffle.)