Sam Rizzo, 85, who took care of celebrities and presidents as room service manager at the Conrad Hilton Hotel, died Friday, March 8, in Christ Hospital and Medical Center, Oak Lawn, of complications following a stroke. Raised in Cleveland, Mr. Rizzo joined the U.S. Army in 1941 and served until September 1945. He later moved to Chicago and started as a busboy at the Conrad Hilton Hotel, now the Chicago Hilton & Towers, in 1949. Mr. Rizzo met his future wife, Donna, who worked in the hotel’s front office, and they married in 1954. Mr. Rizzo was promoted to waiter, then to captain of waiters, then to room service manager, a colleague said. “He always said the customer was No. 1,” said co-worker Paul Demos. Dressed in a tuxedo, Mr. Rizzo would do what he could to make sure his guests, which included actors and many presidents, were comfortable. For his efforts, Mr. Rizzo was rewarded with a gold pen from President Richard Nixon and cuff links from President Ronald Reagan, his wife said. In 1980, he received a thank you note from future President George H.W. Bush. Mr Rizzo understood what every hotel job entailed, Demos said. A longtime resident of Oak Lawn, Mr. Rizzo retired in 1984. Survivors include his wife, Donna. Services have been held.
