Former Park Ridge alderman Richard DiPietro, called ‘voice of reason,’ dies

Longtime Park Ridge alderman Richard DiPietro, who served five terms on the City Council, helped get an unincorporated area annexed into the city and was known as a common sense thinker and consummate parliamentarian, died on March 2.  He was 80.

DiPietro began his 18-year tenure on the Park Ridge City Council in 1995, winning five elections before retiring in 2013. He weathered a reduction in the City Council when it was reduced from 14 aldermen to seven in 2007.

“It hurts,” said Park Ridge Clerk Sal Raspanti. “This was a person who loved everything about Park Ridge (and) was a devoted family man.”

DiPietro died at his home at The Sheridan at Park Ridge of multiple myeloma, according to his second oldest grandson, Chris McCarthy. DiPietro’s obituary asked for guests to donate to dementia and cancer research groups in lieu of flowers. McCarthy said his grandfather suffered from Dementia, but managed it well, for the last two years of his life.

Raspanti served on the council with DiPietro from 2011 to 2013. “Anybody who served with him viewed him as the parliamentarian of the council. He kept everybody in check,” he said.

Raspanti said DiPietro earned that reputation by being able to handle hot topics in a cool manner. He recalled a time in 2011 when the City Council was in a tough spot financially and needed to make cuts to stay above water. “I just remember Rich really being instrumental in helping me kind of navigate through that.”

McCarthy, said DiPietro had a lot of pride and love for his wife. “Even when he was at his hardest and he was in his most pain… he was still telling his wife I love you. And you can tell the man was very genuine. Parkridge was very lucky to have him, we were very lucky to have him, the whole city of Chicago was (too).”

McCarthy said Dipietro also volunteered for 25 years at St. Benedict’s Nursing Home were he would read scripture every Sunday. “He was always about, ‘What can I do to give back?’ but never, “What am I going to get from it?’” said McCarthy.

In 1981, DiPietro opened his typesetting company, The TypeSmiths, Inc., according to an obituary on the Ryan-Parke Funeral Home website. The company evolved into CrossTech Communications, from which he retired in 2013. DiPietro was a member of the Typographers International Association, serving multiple roles, including president in 1992. 

In 1992, DiPietro began his involvement with city politics when he was part of the 305-home Park Ridge Manor Community Association, according to previous reporting. The area, just south of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, was in unincorporated Cook County and surrounded by the city of Park Ridge. There had been periodic efforts to annex the Manor area into Park Ridge, and in 1992, a renewed effort which DiPietro supported won by about 20 votes.

In 2007, the Park Ridge city council debated whether it should keep 14 aldermen on the city council or reduce the number to seven. Raspanti said during those meetings when the council was having heated discussions, DiPietro was someone who was able to think clearly and get others to think about their decision, too.

A visitation is scheduled for Saturday, March 9, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Ryan-Parke Funeral Home. A funeral mass will follow at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Paul of the Cross Church.

According to the Ryan-Parke website, DiPietro is survived by his wife, Kathleen; his daughter Robin (Stephanie Sherman) DiPietro; daughter, Beth (Andrew) McPherson and their children Nathan (Maureen), Aaron (Cara), Zachary (Lauren), Chelsea (Andrew Kretschmar), Jacob (Kaitlyn) and Cassidy; son Tom (Katherine) DiPietro and their children Justin (Lily Elderkin) and Kristen; daughter Tracy (Sean) McCarthy and their children Chris (Shannon), Kaitlyn, Danielle and Samantha; daughter Amy Kawiecki and her children Peter (Ellie), Paige and Caroline; daughter Megan (Michael) Steele and their children Alex, Riley, Colin, Jackson and Anna; and son Ryan (Kathryn) DiPietro and their children Savannah, Tyler, Nicholas and Grace; 11 great grandchildren; his sister Marie Marinelli; brother-in-law Frank Fabianski; brother-in-law Edward Wenigman; many nieces and nephews as well as many extended family and friends.