12/15/2021
Obituary for Michael Rodne "Mike" Adrian
Michael Rodne “Mike” Adrian, 75, of Dewey, Arizona, formerly of Somonauk, Illinois, passed away on December 11, 2021 surrounded by a wave of love and support from his loving wife of 53 years, sons, and cherished extended family. A United States Army Veteran who served his country honorably in The Vietnam War, Mike had been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier in the year and battled through a most tumultuous and punishing year with unwavering strength and optimism, one that has culminated in his getting off the bench and taking his rightful position on the grand baseball field in his hereafter.
Born on September 20, 1946, Mike was the oldest of four children of Myrtle and Joseph Adrian of Somonauk. As a young boy, he spent his time playing with his siblings, sisters Ann and Bette and his younger brother Jerry, on the family farm. He enjoyed television shows of the time, such as The Howdy Doody Show, Garfield Goose and Friends, and Chicago White Sox and Cubs broadcasts on WGN—the latter of which sowed fertile ground for his later years.
He attended public schools in town and graduated Somonauk High School in 1964. His classmates voted him “Best All Around” in his senior-class school yearbook, a fun little fact that did not go unspoken in the decades ahead.
With the country embroiled in The Vietnam War, Mike enlisted in the United States Army. Around this time, a cousin introduced him to a nursing student from Plano named Sue Foli, the woman who would eventually serve as his lifelong partner in their shared adventure. After a brief courtship, Mike proposed to Sue and on October 5, 1968 they were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Plano, Illinois. After assignments in Baltimore and Honolulu, orders followed for Mike to report to Vietnam where he served with the 525th Military Intelligence Group.
After Mike’s tour in Vietnam, he finished his degree at Northern Illinois University and worked as the head of the sheltered workshop at the Open Door in Sandwich, Illinois, helping adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 1982, he and Dave “Oz” Osman purchased a concrete/construction company, Mid-Valley Concrete, which he would run until 2010. He prided himself on doing business with integrity—making contracts with just a handshake—and treating his employees with the dignity and respect they deserved, like family. Mid-Valley Concrete was the backbone of Mike’s own family, providing for Sue; his older two sons, Matt and Jason; and eventually a third son, Bob, who was joyfully welcomed to the family through Catholic Charities at the start of the 1990s.
A devoted Chicago White Sox fan, Mike attended countless White Sox games, including the last night and day games at Comiskey Park in 1990 and the opening of the new White Sox park in 1991. His patience and dedication to the team was finally rewarded with a White Sox World Series title in 2005. The man breathed a well-earned sigh of relief.
Mike’s love for baseball and an ability to make friends anywhere he was—he had the sort of personality people gravitate toward—eventually culminated in the pursuit of his own team. He was the driving force behind the creation of the Somonauk Blue Stockings Vintage Base Ball Club. “Ace,” as he was known, played a variety of positions, scheduled games, recruited players (anywhere), and gave the town a positive piece of history and entertainment to rally behind.
After retiring from the concrete game, Mike worked as a substitute teacher and as an instructor at IAG in Oswego, Illinois, where he taught woodworking and baseball for developmentally disabled adults. He continued to spend time woodworking in his shop and scouring antique stores and flea markets for vintage baseball bats to add to his growing collection. In 2012 Mike was nominated to serve as Somonauk SummerFest Grand Marshall for, according to the nominating committee, “not only [his] many years of dedication to our community, but also the inspiration and encouragement [he has] given to so many people throughout the years and still continue to do so today.”
Retirement was not the end for Mike. He and Sue had one more adventure in store. A healthy sense of wanderlust and an itch to see what their next chapter had in store for them gave them the push they needed to pull up stakes and hit the road. They headed west on U.S. Route 66 until they found a new community in Dewey, Arizona, where they have been laughing, woodworking, relaxing, and adventuring since early 2016.
Mike leaves behind his wife of 53 years and his life partner on this amazing journey, Susan Theresa “Sue” Adrian (nee Foli); three sons, Matthew “Matt” (married to Kim Bagwill), Jason “Byrrd” (married to Elizabeth Volker), and Robert “Bob”; three siblings, sisters Ann Back (married to Jim) and Bette Reynolds (married to Winston) and brother Jerry Adrian (married to Ginny); brother-in-law Steve Foli (married to Chris); sister-in-law Rebecca “Becky” Daniels; and nine nieces and nephews. Mike is preceded in death by his mother, Myrtle; his father, Joseph; and his treasured in-laws, Floy and Caesar Foli.
Just as importantly, he leaves behind myriad people whose lives he touched through his kindness, his overall joyfulness in his approach to life, his genuine interest in their lives, his infectious laugh, and his resolute and untiring love for baseball. Batter up, Mike.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Open Door Rehabilitation Center in Sandwich. To celebrate Mike’s life, a visitation will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on January 8, 2022 at Turner-Eighner Funeral Home in Somonauk, IL. The family would like to thank Dr. Iyad Hamarneh, M.D., and the staff at Arizona Oncology for their tireless and compassionate care and easing his pain through a most tumultuous year. For more information or to sign the online guestbook please go to www.EighnerFuneralHomes.com
Turner-Eighner Funeral Homes
13160 W. Rt. 34 PO Box 404
Somonauk, IL. 60552
815-498-2363
