Great friend passes away, but memories remain strong

My friend John Fabrizius died in August at the age of 73.

I met John for the first time in the late 1960s when he was a student at the Marmion Academy in Aurora and I was at the University of Northern Illinois University. He was the younger brother of my great friend Mike Fabrizius, my classmate from the school and the university.

When I visited the Fabrizius Family Farm near the small town of Virgile, I would be warmly welcomed by Mike and John and their parents, Marie and Michael. I would also be welcomed by the other seven other brothers and sisters of Fabrizius – more about them later.

John, Mike and their four brothers were tall, attached the young men who shared the tasks of the family farm management.

One of my favorite memories is to play basketball with boys in their barn. The games were friendly and filled with laughter, but my main memory is the ease with which they overthrew me. It was very fun to be with them. John and Mike and their brothers and sisters and the parents were on the best friends we could ask.

Because life occurs for everyone, we sometimes lose contact with friends as diplomas occur and careers take shape. But I still saw John from time to time and visited him to community and sports events. He never got married and continued to work on family property with his brother Gerard after the death of their father in 1977.

But John was much more than “just” a dairy producer. As has been said on several occasions, we frequently discover how remarkable a person is only after his absence.

John was a “universal man” who had a lot of knowledge and talent in many areas. Although he graduated with a diploma in English, he learned for life. A passionate reader, he has become well informed in a wide range of disciplines. He had a love of language, had a rare talent for writing and was able to write thoughts and remarks in comforting messages and praise.

He became competent in German, which helped him retrace his family roots in Germany and to maintain links with new European friends.

John was a very spiritual person, and headed for mass and prayed the rosary daily. He was also a reader, professor of religious education and fundraising in STS. Parish Peter and Paul in Virgil. He was known to play basketball with religious students to help connect with them.

It was a happy, loyal, grateful and respectful person – a real gentleman in all respects. Some of the online tributes that have been left reflected these qualities.

Two of these tributes read:

“I was warmly welcomed in the life of John’s family in 1982 to learn English. Since then, we have forged unbreakable bonds. It was a great joy when he came to visit us in France. ”

“John was very thought of and had a lot, many friends who loved his farm stories, a quiet understanding of life, honesty and patience. It will be a lot of lack. ”

Above all, John was a loving person – a strong figure, but always kind and compassionate. He overcome health problems, but they did not slow it down and he was not complainant. He helped take care of his mother, who died in 2014, and would be seen with her during sporting events of her many nieces and nephews, who all had a great affection for their uncle John.

He has now joined his mother, father and brother Ken. He will remember him with love with his brothers and sisters Mike, Ron, Gerard, Lorene, Diane, Chuck and Donna, as well as his nieces, nephews and many friends.

John Edward Fabrizius was a great man. He was a real servant of the Lord, his family and his friends, and the earth herself.

And I was lucky to be his friend.

Tom Strong is an independent journalist for the Beacon-News.