Chester Jaskolka’s childhood as an orphan was not easy, friends said, and when he got a chance to make a difference in other kids’ lives, he made it count.
“He didn’t have much as a kid so he wanted to help other people,” said James Kilmartin, who had known Mr. Jaskolka since he was a boy. “He was very successful.”
Mr. Jaskolka, 76, a Chicago police officer for 39 years, died of leukemia Monday, June 12, in University of Chicago Hospitals.
He bounced around Chicago-area orphanages as a child, Kilmartin said, and eventually was taken in by a priest at Visitation Catholic Church.
He was raised by clergy and later graduated from St. Rita High School. He attended Loyola University for about a year before joining the U.S. Air Force, Kilmartin said.
Mr. Jaskolka spent four years in the Air Force, Kilmartin said. When he returned, he took a job with the city and soon began working as a police officer. It was a job he loved and threw all of his energy into, Kilmartin said.
In 1970 Mr. Jaskolka helped thwart an armed robbery in a restaurant, Kilmartin said.
“He was having lunch with a friend. A guy came in with a sawed-off shotgun … and announced a stickup,” he said
Mr. Jaskolka shot and wounded the man. He received the Police Department’s Award of Valor for his actions, Kilmartin said.
He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a lieutenant and commander of the Calumet Area youth division. He retired in 1996.
He was an avid Notre Dame fan and traveled the country attending the team’s games, Kilmartin said.
In retirement, he stayed involved with kids’ lives as a volunteer at many organizations, including at Mt. Carmel High School, where he was a security guard “right up to the end,” Kilmartin said.
Survivors include a cousin, Beverly.
Services have been held.
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gxdoyle@tribune.com
