Kenneth E. Rackow

A private Burial for Kenneth Emil Rackow, 97, will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine.

He passed away peacefully on December 17, 2022 in Lake Zurich, IL. He was born on September 23, 1925 in Chicago to Alexandra “Lillian” and Emil Rackow.

Ken was raised in Chicago and often spoke about the “good old days” when his family lived in an apartment above the old Novak’s Meat Market. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago before enlisting in the Marines. A veteran of WW2 in the South Pacific, Ken was stationed on Tinian, where the first atomic bombs were based.

After his time in the military Ken met the love of his life, Elna Marie Stroberg, at a soda fountain in Chicago. They married in 1951 and settled in Chicago before buying their first home in Bellwood, Illinois. Ken and Elna lived there until the late 1960s, when they built their dream home in Palatine, Illinois.

Ken made his career in law enforcement, starting with the Chicago Park District Police. He then spent nearly 30 years as an Illinois State Trooper before retiring in 1983. Ken and Elna retired to Sun City West, AZ but returned to the Chicago area in the early 1990s to be close to their family and young granddaughters.

Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Elna; his parents, Lillian and Emil; and his dear brother Raymond Rackow (late Gloria). He’s survived by his son Ken (Julie) Rackow of Cary, IL; granddaughters Kate and Maggie Rackow, both of Chicago, IL; sisters Lorraine Wozniak, Jean (late Chester) Okrasinski and Rosalie (late William) Przybylski.