Sandy Bartusiak, who went above and beyond paying tribute to departed loved ones, dies at 84

She would not let them be forgotten.

Not on her watch.

For nearly 50 years, and at the expense of thousands of dollars, Sandy Bartusiak placed ads in the Sun-Times remembering her loved ones.

It began after her dad, John Budka, died in August 1976.

Four weeks later two police officers showed up at her Southwest Side Gage Park home to tell her that her husband suffered a fatal heart attack while attending Catholic Mass. He was known as “Smiley” because of his disposition and “Lefty” because of how he pitched a 16-inch softball.

Their kids, Ken and Darlene, liked to hide in the back of his yellow Volkswagen bug.

The first ad commemorating her husband, placed in the “in memoriam” section of the paper in 1977, read: “Dear Ray, it’s hard to say goodbye, even though one year has passed by.