For half a century, Lou Kaliski tended bar, pouring drinks and exchanging tales with friends, neighbors and longtime patrons of Lou’s Lucky Stop tavern in Blue Island.
Mr. Kaliski, who died this week at 93, will be remembered for his outgoing personality and friendly company, said Ed Langren, 61, a friend and former co-worker.
“He was a very good man,” Langren said. “He always enjoyed everyone’s company that came in.”
Mr. Kaliski purchased the tavern, 12801 Lincoln St., in 1959 and renamed it Lou’s Lucky Stop. Adorned with family photos and vintage beer signs, the tavern was a watering hole for many locals who enjoyed the jukebox, pool table and relaxed atmosphere.
“It was a meeting place for friends in the neighborhood,” Langren said.
Regulars, including Langren, helped Mr. Kaliski with the bar’s upkeep as he continued to oversee and run daily operations into his late 80s. They cut the grass, shoveled snow and kept bar alongside the Blue Island native.
Mr. Kaliski served two years in World War II before breaking into the rail and canning industries. Soon after, he switched to bartending, working at Club Irene among others.
Once he purchased his tavern, however, he stayed put, renaming it and settling down in an adjacent house.
In a 2006 interview, when asked if he was indeed lucky, Mr. Kaliski joked, “No, I’m not really lucky — I named the bar hoping it would make me lucky.”
So what was it that made Lou’s Lucky Stop a success?
“Nothing special, other than (him) just being Louie,” Langren said.
Mr. Kaliski leaves behind a son, Steven, a brother, a sister, two stepchildren and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His first wife, Genevieve Kaliski, died in 1974. His wife of 26 years, Dorothy Kaliski, died in March.
Services will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday at Hallinan Funeral Home, 2601 Vermont St., Blue Island.
