Henry A. Kida, 71, of Rosemont, a former Chicago police officer, retired bar owner and Alcoholics Anonymous counselor, died of complications from lung cancer Tuesday, May 14, in his home. Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Kida graduated from Lane Tech High School and served in the Army from 1949 to 1951. He joined the Chicago Police Department in 1958 and worked in the Jefferson Park neighborhood until 1966, when he became involved in the restaurant and bar business. Mr. Kida was part owner of the Shady Rest Inn in Rosemont from 1966 to 1970; manager of the Veterans of Foreign Wars supper club in Park Ridge from 1970 to 1973; manager of Hank’s Place, a Chicago bar, from 1974 to 1977; and owner of the Landmark Pub in Harwood Heights from 1977 to 1986. In 1986 he decided to leave the business and become a counselor with Alcoholics Anonymous in Des Plaines. “The advice he always gave people was, `You never fail until you quit trying,'” said his son Jeff. “He was a tough-love type of person. But at the same time he was a jokester. He liked to tell jokes and to honk and wink at the ladies.” Mr. Kida is also survived by two other sons, Paul and John; two sisters, Jeannette Czekaj and Sally Walega; and three grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Oehler Funeral Home, 555 Lee St., Des Plaines. A mass will be said at 10 a.m. Friday in Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, 9711 W. Devon Ave., Rosemont.
