Joliet West’s Dave Marco remembered as ‘genuine person to his soul’

Brian Marco of Shorewood said he was sitting in the intensive care unit with his brother, Dave Marco of Joliet, when someone walked in carrying a plaque.

That someone was Jeremy Krieger, a special education teacher and the head varsity boys basketball coach at Joliet West High School. Krieger said the team had just won the regional championship.

Dave Marco was a paraprofessional at Joliet West for almost 17 years and a huge supporter of the school’s sports programs. He died March 6. He was 69.

“I just wanted to be there with him in that moment,” Krieger said. “We were very close. He was a support and advocate of mine for my whole career here. He’d send me emails after a game on Friday night or Saturday morning just to commend our young men on how well they played and how well we’re building a program and bringing an example to the community. ... He was just a genuine person to his soul.”

Brian Marco said that was when he realized just how much Joliet West meant to his brother.

“It was the most emotional thing,” he said.

Joliet West Principal Tecara Parker praised Dave Marco’s service and good character.

“Mr. Dave Marco was a kind, gentle giant full of positivity and love for all. He was and will always be an important part of our Tiger family,” Parker said in a written statement. “We were so fortunate to have him. From his encouraging words to students and staff as they entered the building to his sideline cheerleading at our sporting events, his presence will be sorely missed.”

Uplifting everyone

Joliet West athletic director Steve Millsaps said Dave Marco often wrote letters to the editor praising Joliet West.

During sporting events, even opposing teams noticed Dave Marco’s support of his school, Millsaps said.

Dave Marco consistently told Millsaps that he was “doing a good job,” which Millsaps said he will miss.

But Dave Marco uplifted everyone, Millsaps said.

“If anything, we could all learn a lot from Dave’s spirit of kindness,” Millsaps said. “If we could carry on his legacy in that way, we’d all be better people for it.”

Brian Marco said his brother previously worked for ComEd. But Dave Marco had excelled as a student at Providence Catholic High School in the late 1960s and simply felt more comfortable in the classroom.

“He truly enjoyed helping kids that needed more assistance,” Brian Marco said.

Brian said he heard “endless” stories at his brother’s celebration of life ceremony regarding Dave’s positive reinforcements.

“What they don’t realize is how much they gave to Dave,” Brian Marco said. “They gave him as much as he gave them. They filled him up. They made him tick. They drove him, and I don’t think they realized that.”

He said his brother preferred making a difference than making a lot of money.

“Dave was not about things or any extravagance,” Brian Marco said. “He was always broke, but he was comfortable with that because he didn’t care about those things. He didn’t care about anything or cars. He just enjoyed what he was doing. He truly enjoyed what he was doing.”

Lawson Sizemore, a journalism major at the University of Illinois, said Dave Marco was his paraprofessional all four years at Joliet West, where Sizemore also previously served as an associate coach for football, basketball and baseball.

Sizemore, who has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A, a disorder that affects the peripheral nerves, graduated in 2021.

Sizemore said Dave Marco “was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met” and helped shape him into the person he is today.

“He was a very intelligent man, super positive,” Sizemore said. “There was never a day where he was negative. He always tried to lift up the people around with positivity or by making a joke or talking with them in the hallway. He talked to everyone.”

A team player

Jenn Galloy, a teacher at Joliet West, said she initially knew Dave Marco as Sizemore’s paraprofessional for her English and journalism classes.

Over time, Dave Marco became a “cheerleader and mentor” to her journalism students and even helped supervise their daily television announcements, Galloy said.

“Dave was always so positive. He was just a pleasure to be around. He exuded happiness,” she said. “If you were having a bad day, you could not help being better around him.

“He’s greatly missed. It won’t be the same around here. I miss hearing his friendly shoutouts over the intercom and his support of my program.”

Krieger knew Dave Marco as a paraprofessional in the special education department, as an event worker and as a member of “a group of professionals at the school who build culture” and promote “Tiger pride.”

Dave Marco often provided a “positive message of the day” on the school’s public announcement system.

Krieger said he loved talking with him about life, wisdom, sports and “how we could mold young people each day when they walk into this building.”

“While no man or woman is built in perfection, he was perfect for us,” Krieger said.

If anything, we could all learn a lot from Dave’s spirit of kindness. If we could carry on his legacy in that way, we’d all be better people for it.”

—  Steve Millsaps, Joliet West High School athletic director

John Karczewski, head baseball coach and a driver’s education teacher at Joliet West, said knowing Dave Marco was a “significant” highlight of Karczewski’s 20-year career at Joliet West.

Marco often announced Joliet West football and basketball games, and Karczewski enjoyed chatting with him during passing periods during the school day.

“He was just an awesome guy,” Karczewski said. “He was always giving positive thoughts and words about people and players. If you needed a self-esteem boost, he was the guy to talk to. He was always going to tell you something good.”