09/11/2024
In Memory of My Mom
Mom and Dad were born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. They met in grade school and married shortly after Mom attended a year of college. Dad left high school at 16 to become a truck driver, transporting loads in downtown Chicago. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed fishing trips with his grandfather to Lakewoods Resort in Cable, Wisconsin. One day, after returning from a fishing trip, Dad declared we should move to Cable. He had it all planned out: work at Lakewoods for a year, then buy a bar. Without hesitation, Mom agreed to the move. At that time, she was a saleswoman for a startup company trying to introduce the concept of credit cards.
A few weeks later, Dad pulled up with his semi-truck, and with the help of friends, we loaded up all our belongings. I jumped into the front cab, and we headed for Lakewoods. After dropping off our things at our new cabin, Dad drove back to Chicago to quit his job.
Not long after, Mom struck a deal with the Fibert family to buy the Pioneer Bar on a land contract. Luckily for us kids, the bar had living quarters attached, so I was raised in a bar, not a barn—there is a difference!
For over thirteen years, Mom and Dad ran the bar while raising my brother Charlie and me. The bar opened at 10:00 a.m. every day except Monday and closed at 2:00 a.m. Mom worked the 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. shift, while Dad took over from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Charlie and I were responsible for cleanup and providing an endless supply of firewood for the winter. No matter how nice the day, we always had winter looming in the back of our minds—frozen pipes, backed-up septic systems, and shoveling ten feet of snow off the roof became routine from the week before Christmas until May 1st.
My parents worked nearly every day except Monday for thirteen years, with occasional breaks to go hunting, fishing, boating or drinking when I or Charlie would bartend to give them some time together. I started bartending at thirteen—it was legal as long as my parents were in the county, or so they told me.
Charlie and I became decent athletes, and despite running a bar, one of our parents was always at our games. They instilled in us the importance of working hard, playing hard and family.
In 1991, Dad passed away from cancer when I was 17 and Charlie was 25. Mom was left to raise me and run the bar on her own. Any savings was depleted by medical bills and travel to the Mayo Clinic.
What Mom accomplished from 1991 until her passing is a story worth telling. Charlie and I were eager to help, but with me heading
to college and Charlie newly married and starting a family, Mom insisted we not alter our lives because hers had changed. A few years before Dad fell ill, Mom had started a company called Recreational Rental Properties with her friend Diane Klump. The idea originated when a customer at the bar asked if Mom could help rent out his lake house, which he only used two weeks a year. Mom agreed to give it a try. With Dad’s illness, she had limited time for the rentals, but after Dad’s passing, she decided to take the company to the next level.
Diane, who had obtained a real estate broker's license, wanted to pursue a career in journalism and offered to transfer the company to Mom if she obtained her license. Mom went back to school to get her real estate and broker’s licenses while still managing the bar. Once she was licensed, she began expanding the business.
From the time Dad died until around 1997, Mom managed over 50 rental properties and owned the bar along with three lake homes. Without any formal business training, Mom’s business acumen could have taught college professors a thing or two. She was essentially Airbnb before it existed, fighting town, county, and state regulations, and proving them wrong each time.
Recreational Rental Properties started as a side hustle but grew into a full-fledged business. Mom continued running the bar, always coming up with new ideas like Monday Burger Madness and the Million Dollar Chicken Contest—though I suspect she stashed away far more than a million dollars from the chicken contest. I once found $8,000 in cash in the freezer and asked Mom about it. She simply said it was from last winter and that she had been too busy to count the money.
In 1996, the bar burned down while Mom was bartending on a bitterly cold -40 degree day. Despite the setback, she didn’t let it stop her. She moved full-time to one of her lake homes, continued managing her rental business, and began planning the bar’s reconstruction. It was my senior year in college, and I was about to graduate with a computer science degree. Charlie was nearby running his dock business. Mom approached us about buying the bar. We decided to proceed, but she insisted that only one of us could purchase it. Charlie ended up buying and rebuilding the bar, while I graduated and started a website design company.
In 2007, Mom decided it was time to retire and sell her company. From 2007 to 2009, I helped her transition out of the business, and I purchased Recreational Rental Properties while Charlie continued with the bar. Mom enjoyed her retirement, attending every grandchild’s sporting event and traveling the world, meeting new friends, and exploring new places.
Though she never remarried, Mom had a few relationships, none of which could compare to Dad. Both my parents created a life for Charlie and me that we will always be thankful for. We could have ended up city boys, but they provided us with a different path.
As parents, we often look back and ask ourselves if we raised our children right, if we taught them the right lessons, and if they will be okay. Charlie and I met our wives in grade school and have both been married for over 25 years. We have raised successful children who contribute to society, and we both own and run our own businesses. Looking back, we can proudly say, "Mom, you did your job. It was time to go see Dad."
Mom was the glue that held our family together, always finding the positive in any situation. Though I was young when Dad died, he taught me how to hunt, fish, and appreciate the outdoors, while Mom taught me the values of hard work, family care, and running a business.
Mom earned every dollar she made through relentless hard work and a zest for life. She lived a remarkable life, met incredible people, and loved deeply.
Love you, Mom.
I look forward to seeing everyone at her Celebration of Life on Friday at the Pioneer Bar.
