Paul E. Fina, 92, gymnast missed Olympics due to war
During the 1940s, there was perhaps no better gymnast in the United States than Paul Fina. A member of the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame, he was a standout competitor for the University of Illinois and was named an honorary member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1940 and 1944.
A member of the Illinois team that claimed four NCAA titles from 1939-42, he was also selected as a member of the U.S. National Gymnastics team in 1947.
Mr. Fina, a former Riverside resident for many years, died Jan. 4, 2009 at Westchester Health and Rehabilitation at the age of 92.
Born in Cleveland on May 18, 1916 to Joseph and Virginia (nee Giovenco) Fina, he attended East Tech High School in Cleveland, where he was a star gymnast. He won the Ohio all-around championship in 1936 and later was recruited to attend the University of Illinois, from which he graduated with a degree in education.
Despite being a renowned gymnast, Mr. Fina was declared unfit to serve in the U.S. military during World War II due to a knee injury he had sustained in a gymnastics exhibition, tumbling over six people and landing in a hole.
“He desperately wanted to go into the service,” said his wife of over 60 years, Vera Fina.
Instead, Mr. Fina worked at the Western Electric Company during the war. In 1946 he met his future wife, Vera Mutzbauer, on a blind date and married her a few months later, on Feb. 1 1947.
He left Western Electric and took a sales job with a Minnesota-based plastics manufacturer, a job he would hold for 40 years. After living in Hyde Park, the couple moved in 1951 to Riverside, first on Herrick Road and later on Scottswood Road. They would remain in the village until 1995, when Mr. and Mrs. Fina moved to LaGrange.
Mr. Fina stayed active in gymnastics well into his adult years, finally calling it quits on the mat in the 1980s. During those years he was also involved as an official. He was chairman of the 1959 Pan American Games and was one of the organizers of the U.S. Gymnastics Federation. He was also a devoted member of the Sokol Chicago organization.
Leaving the plastics industry in 1976, he went to work for the College of DuPage to begin a plastics technology department and stayed there for 12 years as a teacher, finally retiring in 1988.
Mr. Fina is survived by his wife; his children, Christine Fina of LaGrange Park, Emily (Richard) Friel and Paul (Robyn) Fina; his grandchildren, John F. Friel, Anna F. Friel and Paul G. Friel; and his brother, Joseph (Terry) Fina.
A funeral service will be held Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. at the Sisters of St. Joseph Mother House, 1515 W. Ogden Ave. in LaGrange Park, followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
Memorial contributions are appreciated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, 4100 W. Ann Lurie Place, Chicago, Ill. 60632.
Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.
Edna M. Baltazor, 86, Retired Stocker Hinge employee
Former North Riverside resident Edna Marie Baltazor (nee Olson), 86, died Dec. 27, 2008.
Before her retirement, Ms. Baltazor, a Westchester resident, was a secretary at the Stocker Hinge Company in Brookfield.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur E. Baltazor, and her siblings, Minnie (the late Conrad) Bursheim, Clarence (Laverne) Olson and Olaf (the late Helen) Olson.
Ms. Baltazor is survived by her son, Perry (Diane) Baltazor; her granddaughter, Kristin Baltazor; and her sisters, Evelyn (Arthur) Waldon and Olga (the late Leonard) Gadd.
A funeral service was held Dec. 31 at Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church in Riverside, followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
Memorial contributions were appreciated to Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, 250 Woodside Road, Riverside, Ill. 60546 or Hospice of Northeastern Illinois, 410 S. Hager Ave., Barrington, Ill. 60010.
Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home, North Riverside, handled arrangements.
Helen B. Ducaj, 89, Former North Riverside resident
Helen B. Ducaj (nee Pecka), 89, a resident of Westmont and a former resident of North Riverside, died Dec. 29, 2008 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
Born on May 1, 1919, Ms. Ducaj worked during World War II in a factory that built radios for bombers. She was also a member of the Czech Catholic Union.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Steven E. Fond. She is survived by many nieces, nephews and friends.
A funeral service was held Jan. 2 at Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home in North Riverside, followed by interment at St. Adalbert Cemetery.
Memorial contributions were appreciated to the American Cancer Society or the Brookfield Zoo Development Department.