Dr. Alexander Lezerkiewicz, 68, of Naperville, a family practitioner since 1972, died Monday, Nov. 10, in Edward Hospital in Naperville of complications related to kidney failure and a staph infection. Born an only child to a dentist in Kalwaria, Poland, Dr. Lezerkiewicz and his family survived the Russian labor camps during World War II. The family remained in Poland after the war, and Dr. Lezerkiewicz attended the Medical Academy of Gdansk and graduated with a specialty in general surgery in 1958. He married his wife, Kathryn, in 1961. In 1968, Dr. Lezerkiewicz brought his family, including his parents and 4-year-old daughter, to the United States. “He wanted to live in a place where he could be free, where decisions weren’t made for him by a government,” said his daughter, Beata Emmens. They stayed briefly in Chicago, then moved to Brookfield while Dr. Lezerkiewicz studied and passed the International Boards. His son was born in 1970. Dr. Lezerkiewicz interned at Hinsdale Hospital and upon completion in 1972, moved his family to Naperville, where he began practicing medicine. “He always loved the challenge of working with the people. It was truly his life. He was an old-fashioned talker, but he really listened and … he would spend endless time with a patient,” his daughter said. From 1972 until his retirement in 1997, Dr. Lezerkiewicz was on staff at Edward Hospital, serving as chairman of the department of family practice from 1986 to 1988. He sat on numerous committees at the hospital. He was also on staff at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove in the mid-1980s. Other survivors include his wife of 42 years, Kathryn; a son, Mark; and a granddaughter. Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Home, 516 S. Washington St., Naperville. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday in the Century Memorial Chapel in Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville.
