Christopher A. Bedore
Christopher A. Bedore, age 56, of Lisle. Beloved husband of Leanne. Dear step-father of Brian (Laura) O’Neill and grandfather of Colin and Garrett. Cherished son of Lois and the late John Bedore. Devoted brother of Mark (Tina), Jeff (Nancy), Cliff, Jacki (Russ) Krause, Scott (Becky), Matt (Jackie) and Adam (Karen). Fond uncle of many nieces and nephews. Visitation 3-8pm Wednesday July 27th at Hallowell & James Funeral Home, 301 75th St., Downers Grove. A funeral service will be held at 8pm. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, memorial to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation appreciated. Funeral home phone 630-964-6500.
Chris was such a wonderful person….always fun, always smiling. One thing I’ll alway’s remember was his great “Stooge” fests attended by many friends & the entire Before Clan! I’m so sorry to hear he is gone…
Chris will be dearly missed by everyone!
I’m
So sorry to hear about
Chris. My heart
aches for you. We
both started NVHS about the same time. He always had a smile and kind words to myself and so many of the students and coworkers. He will be missed!
Ma
Smile
I’m saddened to learn of Chris’s passing. I knew him through his trips to Arlington Park. I enjoyed talking horses with him, but even more, talking politics, rock and roll, the perils of teaching and raising kids…and really, anything. He was a smart guy…very funny and a man with a good heart. He will be missed.
Will miss him greatly. He was the best conversationalist/best person imaginable. I could write a novel on Chris and it’d be a good one IMO.
I thought I’d copy and paste brother Jeff’s touching tribute to Chris that he wrote on Facebook, so it’d be available forever to read.
Written By Jeff Bedore
My brother was a better man than I have any hope of becoming.
His intellect was Promethean. Unsurprisingly he died reading an anthology while simultaneously listening to political news on the radio. His mind functioned like that, always moving, always juggling ideas. He needed ideas like a shark needs perpetual motion … to breath … to survive. And like a shark there was nowhere in the vast ocean of ideas his mind feared to go. He read constantly. He listened to recordings of university lectures as a hobby: history, economics, political theory, philosophy, literature, statistics. He was a subtle thinker and a tenacious (often fierce), debater. He was brilliant. He was the smartest man I have ever known.
The getting of money and the trappings of wealth held no fascination for him. Had he turned his mind to profit he might have become better known. But I think he knew that money would not make him a better man. And so for him it was largely an irrelevancy. He was simple … in the spirit of the Shaker spiritual … he was Simple and he was Free.
He took his pleasures in simple things. He adored his wife who was very much his best friend. He was extremely proud of his stepson. His face lit up at the mention of his grandchildren. He liked a good drink, a good book, a good pipe, a good meal, a good conversation, a good dog. He liked the sun on the water; releasing a fish he’d fairly caught; listening to the world, watching life go by. He valued friendship over money and love over fame.
He loved children and was rarely happier than when holding an infant. He was devoted to our father whom he idolized and to our mother who he loved unconditionally. He loved animals (or as he called them “creatures”) particularly his dogs who he treated as if they were human. He hunted to make his dogs happy and as an excuse to spend time walking fields with friends (and when I was particularly lucky with me). But his instinct towards compassion made him a terrible hunter. There are generations of pheasants alive today simply because he was their great grandfather’s pursuer.
His wore his emotions on his sleeve and he was honest to a fault … To … A … Fault. Woe to the cook who inquired after the quality of a sub-standard sandwich! He was a small man with a giant personality. Physically he took up very little space but his presence filled any room he was in. He was hard to miss. Few who met him forgot him.
He was charming and he was unique. He was the rarest kind of a man … a true original. When language failed (and in his opinion English often did) he invented new words. He sang habitually and without provocation despite the undisputable fact he simply could not sing. His lyrics were as inscrutable and idiosyncratic as they were hilarious. He loved to laugh and to make others laugh. His sense of humor could be charitably described as bizarre. It was the product of a subtle mind that danced over language like ballet over music. It could be hard to keep up.
He played the ponies because handicapping was a practical exercise in statistical analysis … and because he thought horses were among God’s most perfect creations.
He treated every person he met with respect. He wished no man ill. He was forgiving and unfailingly kind. He was a very good man.
He was older than me by a year. But he has become ageless and I am likely to grow older than he had the chance to become. I know he is gone but I believe he will always be with me in every way that matters.
His name was Christopher … which means “one who carries Christ in his heart.” No man was ever better named.
I have read that younger brothers often feel they live in shadows cast by their elders. I have never felt that way. Christopher Adam Bedore was a little fellow who cast a giant shadow. But that was nothing but shade. I lived in his glow.
I will see you again soon.
Jeff, what a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man.
I worked with Chris at the Book Nook. Many a time he would start rambling while speaking and u knew it was time for something sweet. I loved watching him eat the spiciest Chinese food and how the sweat glisten Ed on his head. So smart and so sweet. Bless him and his family, cherished memories always.
I am so sad for the Bedore family. I have thought about all of you so often. Chris was cool and funny. Growing up a Polk always had a Bedore by our side. I am thankful for knowing him. All of you! Love Denise Polk
We were so shocked to see the email from Benet about Chris’s passing. Our hearts ache for all of you at this time. Jeff, your tribute to Chris was ….I just don’t have the words. Chris was so special and our two boys, Matt & Steve, remember how he always used to touch their little ears when he would see them. We hadn’t seen Chris for quite sometime, but he was frequently in our thoughts. We now hold all of you in our thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time.
Joe and Theresa Panich
My deepest condolences to the entire Bedore family. I’ve known Chris for many years and was most fortunate to have worked with him both at the Book Nook and Westmont Magazine and News. We shared many laughs, and he was always inquisitive, entertaining and usually tired me out mentally before our shift was over. He taught me a few things about handicapping, not the least of which was how to enjoy a beautiful day at the racetrack. Chris was a gentleman and a friend. Rest in peace. Phil Modaff
Me. Bedore was a deans assistant at my high school. What an amazing guy he was. He made everyone’s day SOOO much better with just a smile. His amazing ties and silly mustache just made him a charmer to all the girls haha. He would stop me in the halls and tell me amazing life advise that I always took to heart. He was a REMARKABLE man and I truly wish I could’ve seen him one last time before saying goodbye. The last day of my senior year I will never forget what he told me. Have an amazing summer you non-Italian and always remember me here at the Valley. You will NEVER be forgotten ole pal. Thank you truly for everything
I would like his family to know how much he meant to my five children, NVHS Class of ’15. They shared fond stories of him with me yesterday as they processed his passing. He sounds like a wonderful man and he is surely gone too soon. Our prayers go out to his family. Sincerely, The Collins
I am so sorry to learn about Chris’s passing. What a wonderful man with such a big heart and so much to say about any subject! I am a regular substitute teacher at NVHS and Chris was one of those faces that I was glad to see each day. He always had a big smile and something interesting to share. I loved chatting whenever I saw him in the hallways! My kids loved Mr.Bedore & he is known by all of the students as the nice Dean’s Assistant who always talked to them and always had gum ready to share!!! HE will be fondly remembered and sadly missed. God Bless the Bedore family.
My condolences to Mr. Bedore’s family, friends, and to anyone who ever got to have any encounter with this amazing man. I knew Mr. Bedore as a Dean’s Assistant at Neuqua. As a Dean’s Assistant, he spent much of his time passing notes from the main office to kids in class and monitoring the lunchroom. He loved to talk to both students and faculty. With students, he would often offer them gum (he usually had two kinds to choose from) and would encourage them to call him Mr. Ugly. Some people would ask why, and he would reply, “Because I’m ugly!” But anyone who had even a brief encounter with the man knew that this was far from the truth (instead of Mr. Ugly, I liked to call him Señor Bigote, which means Mr. Mustache in Spanish.)
Seeing him in the hall was always a joy. It felt like he was celebrating life in everything he did. He cared about people. He made people’s lives better. He made my life better. It was obvious that he was wise beyond his years. He knew how to live simply and enjoy life. And, he knew how to make people smile.
Mr. Bedore, you have made me a better person and have had a very positive effect on my life. You will be missed.
What a sad ending for such a wonderful human being. After only a few short years of knowing mr. Before, or as we called him at Neuqua, “Mr. Ugly” I was greatly impacted by his witty humour and his positive outlook on life. Highschool wouldn’t have been as bearable without him. My heart and all of my support goes out to his family in these times of struggle.
So sorry for your families loss. I still can see him talking in the driveway of your folks house using his prodigious vocabulary enjoying the discussion on any number of subjects. I still picture him in my minds eye as 17 -18 years old loving his Pepsi. It’s a picture that puts a smile on my face because he was Avery decent human being. Prayers for him and the family.