Saying Ken Abraham was a union man is like saying Jesus was a carpenter. True, but it leaves out important stuff.
Abraham, 82, died peacefully Dec. 25. I was blessed to visit him Dec. 22 while his daughter Lesley Isacks and two grandsons (strapping young men built like their grandfather) were there.
“He was such a big guy, that at first people were scared of him,” Isacks said. “But he was just a big teddy bear. Always so kind and non-judgmental. He cared about everybody. He had the best memory. He was such a loving father. Somebody you could count on.”
Mr. Abraham was a mentor in life even more than the outdoors.
But he was big in the outdoors world. He was president of Lake Geneva Fishing Club multiple times and led their Kids Day for decades.
“I think of his passion for the Kids Day,” said Bob Clark, current president of LGFC. “His union had to donate thousands over the years.
“He used to haul up a pig roaster up for social events for the club. Just so many things that he did. He probably kept the club going when clubs were having tough times. He loved the club.”
Mr. Abraham, a heavy equipment operator (cranes), loved his union, Operating Engineers Local 150, too. He grew up in Chicago, except for a couple years in Florida with his mom. He earned his GED in the Navy.
He was an early member of the Pioneer chapter of Pheasants Forever, the first Illinois chapter. Through him. I met the late Gerry Rodeen, a character and brilliant habitat evangelist, and Otis Kirchhoefer, his son Kyle and their English setters.
“Funny thing is, as many years as I hunted with [Mr. Abraham], I never saw him actually get a bird,” said Kirchhoefer, a friend of more than 50 years.
Well, one time Mr. Abraham saw a flushed pheasant fly into high wires and wing itself, then Kirchhoefer’s setter retrieved it.
Mr. Abraham produced radio shows, first with the late Orrin Brand (Mike Jackson) then Mike Norris. I grew to love Mr. Abraham when I had a segment during the five-year run of “Mike Norris Outdoors” on WBIG-AM in Aurora.
“He liked to be around radio,” Norris said. “Kenny drove from Schaumburg to Aurora to do those shows. He always hung in there. While he didn’t have the voice for radio, he was critical to the success of my show. suggesting guests and ideas.
“He was always by your side. Sometimes I would put on remotes or do some function and he would be there.”
Abraham stuck with people, even if you screwed up. He gave advice in a way that got through, even to my thick head.
As Isacks put it, “He was always incredibly funny and sarcastic. He knew how to break a contentious moment with his wit.”
When the unions were part of Sun-Times ownership, he would call, saying “This is one of your bosses.”
At Pheasant Fest in 2019 at Schaumburg, he sat in the Sun-Times booth daily for a couple hours so I could tour the show.
Mr. Abraham and his late wife Lynne (organist) were among the founding members of Our Saviour’s United Methodist Church. Over the years, he was active in the men’s group and the board.
He loved to play cards, especially with “his harem,” as his daughter donned his card-playing friends at Friendship Village. He used the phrase with a smile.
“He was a big man with an even bigger heart,” Kirchhoefer said. “He loved the outdoors, hunting and fishing. Just a good friend.”
Mr. Abraham is survived by his daughter, his son Brian Kenneth Abraham and four grandkids.
His celebration of life is at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, at Our Saviour’s UMC in Schaumburg.
Wild things
Patty Houlihan reported daffodils sprouting Thursday in Flossmoor, then asked, “Have you heard of this from other readers?” My wife had mixed bulbs poking through last week, too.
Stray Cast
Sports sorts embedded at Halas Hall on Justin Fields sound like demonstrative primates at the Lincoln Park Zoo act.
