WWII vet built auto sales empire spanning 4 states

Napleton Auto Group was a mom-and-pop operation with about two dozen employees when Francis Edward Napleton began working for his father's first car dealership in Blue Island. By the time he retired, the family business had expanded into one of the largest auto dealer groups in the country, thanks in large part to Mr. Napleton's tireless work ethic, relatives said.

"He just had a burning desire to accomplish something," said Mr. Napleton's son Bill, the auto group's current director. "He worked until he was about 79 or 80, and he loved every day. He was the General Patton of the car business."

Mr. Napleton, of Burr Ridge, died Friday of complications from respiratory illness. He was 84.

Born in Roseland, Mr. Napleton attended St. Rita High School and served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He then became general manager of Napleton Buick in Blue Island, the dealership his father, Edward Napleton, founded in 1931.

"He was a guy that had his own code of conduct: Every day you gotta work hard ... do your best, serve the customers and give inspiration to others," Bill Napleton said.

Over the years, Mr. Napleton steadily built up the company's clientele and added new brands and dealerships as chairman of the board. Napleton Auto Group now has almost 60 franchises in four states, including Illinois, the family says.

Though proud of his company's longevity in the auto business, Mr. Napleton felt his true legacy was his children, his son said.

Mr. Napleton met Elizabeth Raynor, his wife of nearly 60 years, at a grammar school dance at St. Sabina. The couple had eight children, most of whom now work for Napleton Auto Group.

"Family was always No. 1 for him," Bill Napleton said.

In addition to his wife and son, survivors include five more sons, Edward, Stephen, Gerald, Paul and Robert Napleton; two daughters, Ellen Roche and Mimi Collins, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be Monday from 3 to 9 p.m. at St. Rita of Cascia High School Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western. Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, followed by burial in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.