June 01--John "Jack" Schaller was the patriarch of a family whose neighborhood saloon, Schaller's Pump bar in Bridgeport, has been called the oldest continuously running tavern in Chicago.
Schaller's grandfather, George, began the business in 1881 and ran it with Schaller's father, also George, serving food and drinks in the 11th Ward neighborhood that has been home to a raft of Chicago politicians, including two mayors named Daley.
Jack Schaller took over in the early 1960s and ran it ever since with the help of his children, who started helping out while still in grade school, said his daughter, Kim Shinnick. "We've been running the business with my dad since forever," she said.
"He was just a great individual and a great part of the community," said Cook County Commissioner John Daley.
Schaller, 92, who lived in an apartment above the bar on South Halsted Street, died of natural causes Saturday, his daughter said.
He was born in Chicago and grew up in St. Sabina parish in the city's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. After attending Leo High School, Schaller joined the Army and fought in World War II in the Pacific.
At the end of the war, he took a month off, then headed right back to the restaurant, his daughter said. And he was still at it at the end of his life, coming down every day from his apartment.
"People were waiting for him to come down," Shinnick said of longtime customers. "He was a great storyteller. Once you met my dad, you knew him."
"He was such a fixture," said Ald. Patrick Thompson, 11th, a member of the Daley family.
In an August 2015 story on "Chicago's most historic taverns: Our list," Chicago Tribune writer Rick Kogan said Schaller's held "the lingering memory of deals hatched, promises made and careers broken."
Kogan noted that Schaller hadn't had a drink in decades, but knew better than almost anybody that "a good tavern is about a lot more than just booze."
Schaller also is survived by his wife of 50 years, Betty; daughters Jill Nolan, Sue Weber, Colleen Sheehan and Betty Jo Bailey; sons James and Jay; 18 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Another son, Jack, died in 2012.
Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, 653 W. 37th St., Chicago. Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in the church.
Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter.
