'He would volunteer for anything'

MATT GULINO | 'Unofficial mayor of St. Gerald' could always be counted on to help

Years ago, when his son Nick was playing football for St. Gerald School in Oak Lawn, Matt Gulino could be found at nearly every practice, gathering with other dads at Brandt Park to watch the team prepare for its next opponent. On game days, Mr. Gulino often could be found on the sidelines as a member of the chain crew.

"You could always count on Matt Gulino," said Dave Altenburg, a former football and basketball coach at St. Gerald. "Wherever you were, Matt Gulino was there."

Mr. Gulino died suddenly Oct. 25. He was 49.

"St. Gerald will miss Matt Gulino, and the community will miss Matt Gulino," said Alex Olejniczak, an Oak Lawn village trustee who became friends with Mr. Gulino after meeting him at St. Gerald's, where Mr. Gulino also served on the school board, coached his children's basketball teams and served as basketball coordinator.

"He would volunteer for anything," said Al Kowalski, a fellow member of St. Gerald's Holy Name Society, recalling his attention to detail when he agreed once year to coordinate a chili cookoff at St. Gerald's Oktoberfest. "Anything anyone ever wanted from Matt, he never said no."

"Very few people could say, 'I asked Matt to do something, and he didn't do it,' " said Jon Colesby, a Holy Name Society member who worked with Mr. Gulino on many parish events. "He didn't say no too often."

Dan Janik met Mr. Gulino at St. Gerald School when their children began preschool.

"The thing about Matt was a firm handshake, a genuine smile and a contagious giggle," Janik said. "We had a really strong friendship."

Janik joked that Mr. Gulino had trouble attending social events because everyone stopped him to shake hands or spend a few minutes chatting. "He was the unofficial mayor of St. Gerald," Janik said.

Mr. Gulino grew up in Chicago's Garfield Ridge community and graduated from St. Daniel the Prophet School and Kennedy High School. He and his wife, Joanne, were high school sweethearts and were married for 21 years, settling in Oak Lawn. Mr. Gulino earned an associate degree from Triton College and was self-employed as a sales representative in the food processing industry.

In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by daughters Sara and Katie, his mother, Kathleen, and his brother, Michael.

Services have been held.

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