George Wendt was a child of Beverly, that tightly-knit, leafy neighborhood on the South Side where he was celebrated Sunday. He was also a product of Old Town, that equally lovely but more frenetic neighborhood where he lived for a time and enlivened the stage of the Second City, where he was celebrated Monday.
Wendt died May 20 in Los Angeles, where he had lived since 1980 with his wife, Bernadette Birkett, whom he had met at the Second City. He was 76 years old. Cardiac arrest was the cause. Newspapers and TV headlines blared the sad news.
And so, in from a wicked rain they came, hundreds of people packing the pews for an 11 a.m. Sunday mass at Christ the King Catholic Church, long the Wendt family parish. Many entered to the song “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” which was the theme for “Cheers,” the popular NBC comedy that ran for 11 seasons with Wendt appearing in all 275 episodes as the bar denizen Norm Peterson (yes, the character had a last name).
They heard the song again at the end of the service, along with Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”
There had been only a few mentions of Wendt during the service and by its end, the rain had stopped and most of the churchgoers walked a few short blocks to the corner of 92nd Place and Bell Avenue for the official street-naming ceremony. Some grabbed doughnuts and coffee, joined curious neighbors and watched and listened as Matt O’Shea, the alderman of the 19th Ward in which the streets sit, said a few words.
Wendt’s niece Erin Muldoon Stetson spoke, and there were camera crews and reporters from most of the city’s TV stations, along with a huge sign with Wendt’s face, the words “Thank you for all the laughs,” and hundreds of signatures.
On Bell, you could see the house where Wendt grew up with his parents and siblings, a tidy little house still occupied by family members.
For many, as they walked north on the one block stretch of Bell now designated George Wendt Way, it was a time to remember Wendt’s mom, Loretta Wendt, who died in 2010.
She was, as one person said, “a force of nature.” And I remembered something George told me when she died: “In the neighborhood she was the go-to person whenever anybody needed a skit or a song parody for a party. She was of her time, a housewife and mom, but I have always thought that had she been born in another era, she could have been as successful as Elaine May or Tina Fey.”
After the street naming, many walked or drove to the nearby large and beautiful home of Wendt’s sister Marti Doherty to drink beer, eat hot dogs and tell stories. Some of these folks, but hardly all, also were at Monday’s event at The Second City. It was by invitation only and the crowd was less familial than theatrical.
As at most memorial services (as opposed to funerals), there was lots of laughter, lots of hugs and plenty of “long-time-no-see” expressions. Before the formal part of the night, the audience chatted and watched dozens of photos projected on a screen. They were of Wendt’s life, from childhood on, and what distinguished that series was that in almost every one Wendt was smiling.
Thoughtfully organized and hosted by two of Wendt’s oldest friends and collaborators, Tim Kazurinsky and Peter Burns, the event included film clips of Wendt’s decades-old work at the Second City, some riotously funny, some zany.
These peppered a parade of speakers who offered anecdotes most pleasingly upbeat, and among them were Jim Belushi, Joel Murray, Mark Nutter, Tom Tulley, Bruce Jarchow and Nancy McCabe-Kelly.
Many words poured forth from these people in attempts to describe the man, and among those words were “gracious,” “inspirational,” “thoughtful” and so on.
B.J. Jones, the artistic director of Northlight Theatre, called Wendt “kind,” “underrated as an actor” and a “reminder of our humanity.” Just seeing Jones reminded many of the tremendous work Wendt did at Northlight in the world premiere of “Funnyman” in 2015 with Kazurinsky.
This being a theater-smart crowd, others recalled him on Broadway in such shows as “Hairspray” and “Art.”
Wendt’s fame as Norm — and the many Emmy nominations that came with it — understandably overshadowed his other work in TV, film and theater, of which there was plenty. He was also made larger than life through his turn on the popular Saturday Night Live bit about “Da Bears.”
But listening and watching his appearance on a holiday episode of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” in 1998, as he brought out his entire family, displayed Wendt at his most self-effacingly charming.
On stage, Wendt’s brother-in-law Joe Birkett, a judge on the Illinois Appellate Court, thanked him for helping with political fundraisers when Birkett ran unsuccessfully for political offices. He choked back tears as he later said that “we all should be comforted by our memories.”
Wendt’s wife, Bernadette, then humorously detailed their mid-1970s courtship. Their lovely daughter, Hilary — there are two sons also — sat smiling in the audience, as did the members of the large, extended Wendt family.
The most well known of Wendt’s relatives is the Second City and “Saturday Night Live” alum Jason Sudeikis, the creator and star of “Ted Lasso.” He appeared on screen to praise his uncle and Godfather and introduce his mom and Wendt’s sister, Kathryn, who told a cute White Sox story.
This event lasted a little less than two hours and it ended with a singalong (“Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” natch) and people walking out into the Old Town night knowing a little bit more about their old friend, colleague and relative, appreciating him more than ever, missing him too.