The late Stephen M. Scalzo‘s family has graciously permitted me to share this information with you, for the benefit of those who knew him:
Stephen Michael Scalzo, 73, of Park Forest, Illinois, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, November 16, 2016, in the arms of his wife, Kimberly. He was preceded by his parents, Silvio M. and Jerry V. Scalzo, and is directly survived by his wife, daughter Emily, sons David and Michael, daughter-in-law Licun, grandson Ciro, estranged sister Annette, and nieces Michelle and Kristi. His extended family, friends, and colleagues number in the hundreds. He was an animal lover, and many of Stephen’s pet companions were rescues, including the Chihuahua he left behind, Chiquita, her daughter Spot, and his cats, Chessie and Panama—fittingly named after railways.
A native of Peoria, Illinois, Stephen was an alumnus of Bradley University and worked many years for various railways, most recently Metra in Chicago. Fittingly, he passed in Metra’s Millennium Station on his way to work at a job he loved. He was an avid rail fan and belonged to the CERA and was an Illinois Railway Museum member since the 1960s. He attended monthly CERA meetings in the Loop, and often took Saturdays out to go to Union, Illinois to enjoy the exhibits and ride the trains at the museum. His obsession was electric streetcars and trolleys. He was a cartographer whose maps were published in numerous CERA publications, and his articles about railways were published in a variety of train magazines.
Although he grew up listening to the St. Louis Cardinals on the radio, he grew to love the Cubs after moving to Chicago in the 1960s and enjoyed attending games at Wrigley with his children—especially if the Cardinals were in town. He celebrated the 2016 Cubs World Series win with joy and was looking forward to next year.
A quiet man, he was known for a dry sense of humor and had a mischievous streak, occasionally playing pranks when his family least expected them—though he never could hold back a wicked little grin when he was playing them. He was generous, loving, and hard-working. He will be greatly missed by many.
Stephen Scalzo will be laid to rest in an informal ceremony at Skyline Memorial Park’s chapel at 10am, Wednesday, November 23, 2016. He wished that in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be sent to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, where he spent many happy days riding the trains and enjoying the exhibits.
Skyline Memorial Park is located at 24800 S. Governors Highway in Monee, Illinois.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the entire Scalzo family for their loss. The family has also created a memorial page here.
-David Sadowski
[…] We are shocked by the news that long-time railfan historian Stephen M. Scalzo has died at the age of 73. His family has graciously shared the notice they have prepared with us. You can read it here. […]
Condolences to the family and friends.
I have enjoyed his high-quality streetcar and trolleybus photos immensely. I am happy to see that he was about much more than that.
The trolley bell has rung its knell
A railfan now has passed
He pulls in late at the pearly gate
Arriving Home at last.
RIP, Stephen. My condolences to family and friends.
I remember trading photos with Steve after a trip to Cleveland, Ohio with CERA many years ago. Larry Miller
My deepest condolences. I worked with Steve when I was the art and advertising director of the South Shore Line in the mid-eighties in the Chicago office. Steve was always generous with his information concerning the I.C. suburban service.