John C. Pankow’s interest in law enforcement may date all the way to his grade school days, when he first donned a crossing guard vest to help his fellow classmates safely cross the street.
“He was just a little kid, but he said he was proud to wear that vest,” said Nadine, his wife of 49 years. “He liked the attention and all the responsibility, but mostly I think he just loved the power and being able to do something that he felt was really important.”
Mr. Pankow, 70, of Lyons, formerly of La Grange, a retired chief of police of the Lyons Police Department and former volunteer firefighter, died of heart failure Sunday, Jan. 18, in his home.
Born in La Grange, Mr. Pankow moved with his family to Lyons, where he attended Costello Grade School and served as a crossing guard for a couple of years. After graduating from Lyons Township High School in La Grange, he was drafted into the military, but received a last-minute deferment, after he was diagnosed with diabetes.
Mr. Pankow then took a job with National Cylinder and Gas Co. in Hodgkins, where he was employed for a while, before becoming a plasterer. After deciding that line of work was too strenuous, he attended Mohlar Barber College in Chicago and then worked for several years in barbershops in Long Grove and Rolling Meadows.
“He soon figured out that barbering wasn’t his calling either, because he was kind of an antsy guy and had a real hard time standing around and waiting for customers to walk in,” said his wife.
Mr. Pankow’s career with the Lyons Police Department began in 1964, when he was hired as a patrolman. Around the same time he joined the Lyons Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter and also headed a cadet program. He served with the Fire Department for 40 years, most recently as the department’s photographer and chief historian.
After a series of promotions within the Lyons Police Department, Mr. Pankow became chief of police, a post he held from 1986 to 1988. He retired from his position as a lieutenant in 1990, after suffering a heart attack.
“There’s absolutely nothing bad I can say about the guy, not an absolute thing,” said Daniel Babich, chief of the Lyons Police Department.
According to Babich, Mr. Pankow was a hands-on administrator “who served as a real asset to the community” during his days as police chief.
“He came in during a tough time, when we were trying to rid our town of a lot of negative elements, like strip joints, motorcycle gangs and all forms of corruption,” said Babich. “He cleaned shop and made a real difference in the ways things got done around here.”
Mr. Pankow was a member of the Lions Club, the Lyons Fire Department Association and was a charter member of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 44. He was also a past president of the Lyons Historical Commission.
Other survivors include a daughter, Noreen Arp; five brothers, Art, Tom, George, Chuck and Bill; two sisters, Judi Franklin and Linda Kaufman; two grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and two “adopted” daughters, Sue Flood and Chris Krubi.
Visitation will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Tower Home for Funerals, 4007 S. Joliet Rd., Lyons. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in Zion Lutheran Church, 7930 W. Ogden Ave., Lyons.
