Michael J. Romano, 73, chairman of Romano Bros. Beverage Co., a prominent Chicago wine and liquor distributor, died of cancer Friday in his Chicago home.
Mr. Romano started working at Romano Bros., a longtime family business, when he was 13.
He graduated from Fenwick High School in 1942 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Mr. Romano played on the 1943 Great Lakes Naval Station football team that beat the University of Notre Dame. He later attended Notre Dame and played football there.
After graduating from Notre Dame in 1949, Mr. Romano moved to Chicago and returned to work at Romano Bros., eventually working in all branches of the company.
“My dad was ferociously competitive. He and his brother made sure that they were not going to be defeated by anybody,” said his son, Michael III. “He always said that the harder you work, the luckier you get. . . . He had a work ethic that you wouldn’t believe.”
In 1963, after his father died, Mr. Romano took over the business.
“He was an outstanding businessman, and he always had time for everybody. He will be missed,” said George Connor, a friend since high school and teammate at Notre Dame. “He was always there when you needed him.”
Mr. Romano was given the Humanitarian Award by the City of Hope in 1974. He also was voted the Outstanding Liquor Dealer of the Year by the Illinois Retailers Association.
“He was a very strong-willed man and very tough-minded and firm in his convictions,” said his brother, Donald J. “Buddy” Romano. “He really loved the people part of the business more than anything.”
Mr. Romano’s other passion was golf. He was a member of Ridgemoor Country Club and organized the annual Turkey Trot golf tournament during Thanksgiving weekend.
One year when the weather almost dampened his tournament plans, Mr. Romano was so determined to play that he used his putter to shatter ice on the green. “There was no such thing as weather when you couldn’t play,” said his son.
Other survivors include his wife, Mitzi; five daughters, Cathleen Johnson, Lynn Tamburrino, Michelle Foster, Melissa Holzner and Monique Jancovic; a sister, Beatrice “Bebe” Nicolau; and 11 grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday in Drake & Sons Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave., Chicago. A funeral service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home, followed by a mass in St. Ita Church, 1220 W. Catalupa Ave., Chicago.
