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Former Lyons trustee Alonzi dies

Served 12 years; started block party

By Steve Metsch

As do many people in Lyons, Village Trustee Dan Hilker has fond memories of former Trustee Pat Alonzi.

“I sat next to Pat (at board meetings).  … She was fun to deal with. She was concerned about the citizens of the community,” he said. “She owned a business.  She and her husband built some homes here. She wanted to see the community grow.”

Hilker worked with Alonzi on the village issues for 10 years.

Alonzi, 85,  who stepped down from the board earlier this year, died on July 15 at her daughter’s home in Homer Glen, according to an obituary from Hitzeman Funeral Home in Brookfield.

A memorial service begins at 11 a.m. Friday at Queen of Heaven Cemetery Committal Chapel, 1400 S. Wolf Road, Hillside.

Alonzi resigned as a trustee in January due to health issues. She had served 12 years on the village board.

In her letter of resignation, Alonzi wrote: “Serving as an elected official for my community has been a great honor. After 12 years of faithful service to the residents of Lyons, I feel my time has come to pass the baton.”

In a posting on the village’s Facebook page, Mayor Christopher Getty said “her legacy will be cherished for years to come.”

Trustee Alonzi “demonstrated unwavering commitment and passion for the betterment of our village. Her tireless efforts in advocating for the needs of our residents and working diligently to enhance the quality of life for everyone have earned her the respect and admiration of our community,” Getty said.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Alonzi family during this difficult time,” he said.

Pat Alonzi served as a Lyons Village Trustee for 12 years. 

When he announced Alonzi’s resignation at a village board meeting in February, Getty said “she was part of the community, cared about things. She stayed in the loop on everything.”

Alonzi was one of the first women to work as a radio operator for the Lyons Police Department, a job she held for 13 years.

She and her late husband Michael Alonzi owned Alonzi’s Restaurant in Brookfield for 18 years.

Alonzi was well-known in Lyons for being the driving force behind an annual block party held outside her home on the village’s west side.

The party grew over the years to become one of the biggest annual events in Lyons.

In February, trustee Paul Marchiori said Alonzi “was great to work with.”

“Pat was always very happy and polite, always there to do her part. I always remember her block parties, especially in the beginning. All the cooking she did. She would cook for days,” Marchiori said.

Trustee Teresa Echeverria said Alonzi “put the town first. She cared. And when one of us got hurt, she was calling, sending us food.”

In an August 2019 story in the Desplaines Valley News, Alonzi talked about the block party as she rested on a folding chair.

“My legs,” she confided, “are killing me.”

Alonzi, 81 then, had been up until the wee hours preparing food for the party.

“I was up until 2 in the morning making pasta, macaroni and tuna salads. Each tray serves 50. It’s a lot of work,” she said.

“But,” Alonzi added with a smile, “I’m glad that everybody came out.”

The family asks that memorials be made to the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Cancer Society.

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Steve Metsch

Steve Metsch is an award winning veteran reporter who previously worked for the Daily Southtown Newspapers, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Metsch is a writer and editor at the Southwest News Newspaper group based in suburban Chicago, and a freelance writer a health magazine, the Suburban Life, the Naperville Sun, and other organizations.
Email Steve Metsch at [email protected]

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