By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
According to Patricia Spiegelhoff, her husband, Tom, never wanted accolades or attention.
“He wouldn’t want me to recognize him this way,” she said of her husband.
And yet, the long-time area grocer from a family of grocers took time to give of himself.
“He loved to help people,” Patricia said, explaining that Tom would give money or food to help those in need. He also gave of his time, serving on the Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington board, and as a member of the Burlington Rotary Club.
Thomas Spiegelhoff, 81, died unexpectedly last week, leaving behind a legacy of community involvement – both inside of his business and outside of it.
He died with his family at his side.
Tom Spiegelhoff’s children worked for him throughout the years – both from when the store resided on Chestnut Street to its move out to Milwaukee Avenue.
The family business
Tim Spiegelhoff said his father was strict, but fair. He started working for him as a youngster, walking from St. Charles School to the store on Chestnut Street, sorting bottles and incinerating boxes.
From his teenage years, he worked in the meat department with his father.
“Dad was very direct, very demanding, but also a teacher,” Tim explained. “My work ethic today is all because of my father, for sure.
“I learned to very much love the meat business,” he added.
His daughter, Jody Spiegelhoff-Wenzel, worked in several departments at the Pick ’n Save stores, which is what the family business evolved into in the 1980s.
Jody worked in the meat department for 13 years, and then went to the floral and produce departments.
She said her father was one of the driving forces behind Pick ’n Save coming to the area, along with Paul Spiegelhoff.
Even Cindy Spiegelhoff-Hennen, who went into medicine rather than the grocery business, worked for her father as a teenager.
One thing was a constant, though. While Tom Spiegelhoff rarely took time off, the time he took off was dedicated to his family.
An extended family
Beyond the family business, Tom’s generosity was well known. Not just for his time in area service clubs, but for offering a place at the dinner table if needed – to just about anyone.
Jody commented that monks from the St. Francis Friary would often come to dinner, as would people down on their luck who Tom had invited to dinner.
“Dad shared everything we had,” said Tim.
Added Jody, “Our lake house was everybody’s lake house.”
Tom Spiegelhoff also helped organize the Browns Lake Aquaducks, which his children skied in, and was a faithful man who attended daily Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.
And as a butcher, Tom’s cooking skills were in demand, as well as the meat that he cut, Patricia said.
What the family hopes for is that their father’s generosity is known as much as his grocery business, even though Tom often worked behind the scenes.
“He didn’t like seeing people who needed help not getting help,” said Tim.
Added Jody, “Everybody loved him.”
A full obituary can be found at myracinecounty.com.
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