As a custom home builder in the western suburbs, Lee Anthony Blaskovich was adamant about perfecting each detail in a home.
From laundry rooms on the second floor to elevators reaching the top story, Mr. Blaskovich was one of the first builders to bring amenities to the area that are now standard for higher-end homes.
“He did do an elevator in a four-story home in Hinsdale,” said Lisa Gaynor, real estate agent for Brush Hill Realtors. “And quite honestly that is something you don’t see.”
Mr. Blaskovich, 60, of Clarendon Hills, owner of Blaskovich Builders, died Tuesday, Feb. 8, in his winter home in Ft. Myers, Fla., of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Born in Hinsdale, Mr. Blaskovich worked for his father’s business, Blaskovich Builders, as a young man. After graduating from Hinsdale Central High School, he attended Stout State University, now the University of Wisconsin-Stout, for two years.
“He was not a person who sits still,” said his wife, Rosemary. He returned to his father’s business and worked alongside his father for 15 years before taking over the business in 1982.
“He was so concerned about making all the details right,” Gaynor said. “Everything he did was done to perfection. He cared to make it high quality. And if something wasn’t right, he would tear it out and make it right.”
Gaynor recalled a home Mr. Blaskovich built that had a granite countertop in the kitchen. When he got negative comments on the countertop, he immediately replaced it.
“Some builders would have lowered their price to correct the feature. Instead he took the expense on himself and did it right,” Gaynor said.
Mr. Blaskovich kept up on the latest trends through research and asking questions of clients, said his wife, whom he married in 1968. “He used to do some pretty unique things that are now very standard,” she said. “He would find out what people’s interests were and build it.”
To maintain quality, Mr. Blaskovich was on the job every day.
“He was always on his sites,” said Don Lay, deputy building commissioner of Hinsdale. “He always took responsibility for his projects. His loss will be a big loss because he was also a great guy.”
Several of the subcontractors that have worked on homes with Mr. Blaskovich have stayed with him for 20 years or more, his wife said.
“And they did because they all bought into the same concept of building homes, not houses, and the quality was more important to them then a quick turnaround on projects,” his wife said.
Mr. Blaskovich and his family lived in Hinsdale until 1985 when they moved to Clarendon Hills. Three weeks after moving to Ft. Myers in 2003, he was diagnosed with the disease. His son, Mick, now runs the business.
Other survivors include his daughter, Jennifer Schoon; another son, Tim; his mother, Frances; brothers Richard and Terry; and a granddaughter.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Elliston Funeral Home, 60 S. Grant St., Hinsdale. Services are private.
