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Michael Gentile (September 15, 2011) |
Michael L. Gentile ran a drug store on Taylor Street in Little Italy for four decades, taking over the business from his father in the early 1960s.
Through hard times and gentrification, Gentile's Pharmacy catered to the needs of the changing Near West Side neighborhood, first serving immigrants and people down on their luck, then later young professionals who scooped up lofts, and students from the nearby University of Illinois at Chicago.
Mr. Gentile resisted his family's suggestions to sell his business when things got rough. He built up such a loyal following that last July, seven years after he closed the drug store, people recognized him on the street after his 70th birthday celebration.
"He walked out of the restaurant that night and people kept coming up to him giving him hugs," said Salvatore Perry, a friend of Mr. Gentile's who opened RoSal's restaurant on Taylor Street in 1990. "That's because Mike was such an easy touch. He was one of those great guys, who took the time to visit with people and listen to their problems. Everybody loved him."
Mr. Gentile, 70, died of cancer Monday, Sept. 12, in his Oak Brook home.
While respecting tradition, Mr. Gentile always looked to the future. In the 1980s he started to offer mail-order prescriptions before they became common. During the boom in herbal supplements in the 1990s, he formed the Gentile Co., a manufacturer's representative firm that markets supplements under private labels to major retail outlets including Walgreens.
"He was a true friend; we could talk on any subject — politics, business, anything at all," said Charles "Cork" Walgreen III, the former CEO of Walgreens.
"He was a smart, successful businessman, but at his core he was a loving family man, who never forgot where he came from," said his daughter Michelle Bucaro, who along with her brother, Michael Jr., and her sister, Marsha Racki, runs the Oak Brook-based Gentile Co.
Mr. Gentile's relationship with the Walgreens began when he and his wife approached Charles Walgreen and his wife, Kathy, at a social function about 25 years ago. Mr. Gentile playfully remarked that they shared something in common.
"He said, 'We both own drug stores. The only difference is that we have one and you have a thousand,'" recalled Kathy Walgreen, with a laugh. "That's where it all began, on a fun note."
It wasn't until a decade later that a business relationship developed, after Mr. Gentile mentioned to Charles Walgreen that he was helping to market supplements, including herbal products.
"I said, 'Boy, we could really use products like that in our store,'" said Charles Walgreen. "I never had to worry about quality. They were always top quality."
Mr. Gentile was 5 when his family moved from their two-bedroom flat in Little Italy to a home in the Austin neighborhood. After graduating from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, he earned a bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University.
"He was a hard worker," said his wife of 47 years, Marsha. "When he wasn't in school, he was working for his father at the pharmacy."
After his father retired in 1963, Mr. Gentile ran the pharmacy until it closed in 2004. His son, Flavio, now runs Gentile's Wine Shop from the drug store's location.
Mr. Gentile is also survived by a brother, Rich, and nine grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church, 411 S. Clay St., Hinsdale.