Henry J. Kotarba, 87, of Riverside, died Nov. 7, 2015 at his home.
Mr. Kotarba was the president of Henry’s Formal Wear, which he founded in 1957 at Archer and California in Chicago. In time, the business grew to a chain of 14 stores throughout the Chicago area.
In a 2006 interview with the Landmark, Mr. Kotarba said that until he opened the business he’d never worn a tuxedo.
“And then it grew on me,” he said. “I was learning and working at the same time.”
He retired from the business in 1999.
Mr. Kotarba was the husband of Dorothy Kotarba (nee Schmitt) for 65 years; the father of Lori O’Connor, Nancy Battista and Penny Kotarba Eskew; the grandfather of Colleen (Jason) Geiselhart, Michael (Phokham) O’Connor, Lindsay (Lee) Pollard, Allyson Wright, Kevin Wright and Mariana Battista; the great-grandfather of Levi Pollard; the brother of Bernadine (Leon) Zwercyski and the late Walter (Mary), Helen (Bruno) Uryasz, Loretta (Edward) Polys, Edward, Irene (Edwin) Zawacki and Marie (Matthew) Figura; the uncle of many; and the son of the late Josephine Myszkowski and late Anton Kotarba.
Visitation is on Thursday, Nov. 12 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Riverside. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, Nov. 13 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Church, 126 Herrick Road, Riverside. Interment is private.
