It is a chore each December for my arts and entertainment colleagues and me to think about death and departure. We are compelled to remember some of those people, places and things that vanished in the previous year from the world we cover. We make a list and on it, of course, are some famous names, but also others with just compelling life stories.
These annual lists are subjective and could easily go on and on. They don’t necessarily recount the year’s most newsworthy obituaries. I can speak for my pals when I tell you that we do not handle this chore with tears.
In recalling lives gone, we remember the pleasure and thrills that those lives provided, sometimes over decades. Writing and reading these notes from the beyond, so to speak, bring more smiles than tears. So, read what we have to say and know that this coming new year, like any new year, is filled with promise and pleasure.
Tommy DeLorenzo , who died at 38 in October, was a master balloon artist — balloon décor, balloon sculpture, balloon arches. If you could picture it, he could recreate it out of inflated clusters of rubber. He made astronauts out of balloons.
He made palm trees out of balloons. He once constructed a hot air balloon out of balloons. He founded his business, Balloons by Tommy, at 14.
He grew up in Elk Grove Village. Balloons by Tommy continues in Bensenville with his husband, Scott DeLorenzo. If you have attended any balloon-friendly events in the Chicago area in the past 24 years, there�.
