Woodridge Resident Copes With Grief By Organizing Charity Outing

This is going to be the first October that the Szczepaniak family will celebrate Mike Szczepaniak's birthday without him. The Woodridge resident, husband and father of two died last year of pancreatic cancer, one month after he was diagnosed with the illness.

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 Woodridge Jaycees organized a fundraiser last November. This year, his wife Sherri is working with the Jaycees to organize another fundraiser to benefit the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation in his memory.

"People helped me," said Sherri. "I decided to do something every year around his birthday ... pay it forward to somebody else who needs help."

Sherri said organizing the fundraiser is her way of helping her family cope during this time. Mike's birthday was October 10.

"We’re coming up on the whole year thing. It's difficult on my boys and myself," said Sherri. "Rather than having this be a sad week, I thought doing something [for charity] would be a good way to remember him ... talk about him, instead of it being a sad time."

The golf outing will be held at the Village Greens of Woodridge on October 20. Tickets will be $125 for 18 holes of golf and will include green fees, a cart, a hot dog lunch, steak dinner and open bar at the end of golf game. The outing will be a family event, and there will be games for non-golfers, as well as contests, auctions and door prizes. Those not interested in playing can pay $25 for dinner only. All proceeds will be donated to the Connie and Walter Payton Foundation.

People can register for the event at livelikemike.com.

Earlier:

• Debbi White Named Woodridge Patch Person of the Year
• Tree Planted in Honor of Mike Szczepaniak
• Jaycee’s Szczepaniak Shuffle Sunday
• OBIT: Michael Szczepaniak Dies at 49
• Sticking with the Bears Through Thick and Thin

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