May 07, 2025
Downers Grove

Downers Grove dedicates plaza in Kunze’s memory

By F. Amanda Tugade

Linda Kunze was remembered for her dedication to the downtown Downers Grove business community May 11 when the plaza adjacent to the Downers Grove train station was named in her memory. Kunze was the executive director of the Downers Grove Downtown Management Corp. for 20 years. She died Sept. 26, 2018. Photo provided (Photo provided)

DOWNERS GROVE – Nearly eight months have passed and Jennifer Schwendener is still trying to heal from her mother's death in September. It's been difficult, Schwendener said, especially since she and her husband became new parents that fall and were heartbroken by the thought that their daughter would grow up without her grandmother beside her.

“I’m still at the point where it’s tough to talk about without tearing up,” Schwendener said.

On May 11, the day before Mother’s Day, Downers Grove officials and members of the Downers Grove Downtown Management Corp. gathered by the Main Street train station and presented a gift of a lifetime to Schwendener and her family. With a ceremony, they unveiled a plaque and dedicated the plaza surrounding the station to her mother, Linda Kunze.

For many village staff and local entrepreneurs, Kunze was known as the pulse that kept Downers Grove’s downtown heart beating. From 1998 to 2018, Kunze served as the corporation’s executive director and became a champion for small business owners.

She worked closely with them, often finding the perfect balance between helping fulfill their visions while abiding by ordinance, building or safety codes. Phil Stromberg, a member of the management corporation, called Kunze a “patient optimist” who only wanted the best for her clients.

“It involves a lot of hard work, a lot of compromise and a lot of dealing with different personalities,” Stromberg said of Kunze’s leadership role. “If she didn’t have that effervescent optimism, there’s a lot of things that wouldn’t have happened.”

Beyond that, Kunze was thoughtful and compassionate, and people from the community knew it.

“Linda loved her job and loved the downtown so much that I used to think that she’d probably do that job for free,” said Michael Cassa, president and CEO of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corp.

Cassa recalled meeting Kunze for the first time during the summer of 2011. New to the neighborhood, he met Kunze for some lunch and a quick tour.

“It was a hot summer day,” said Cassa as he thought back to that day in July. “There were so many people just walking in the downtown, merchants, you know, peeking their head out the door.

“So many people were [like], ‘Hi, Linda! How are you doing?’ [and] waving at her. And it was clear to me that there was a great degree of not just respect but affection for her.”

Like Stromberg and Cassa, Erin Venezia shared their sentiments. Back at the management corporation’s office on Curtiss Street, Venezia and Kunze were an inseparable team. Year after year, they brainstormed together and organized seasonal activities. From the Grove Ice Fest to the summer classic car showcase, the pair dedicated their time to design downtown as a destination for residents and visitors.

“She was a staple on the streets,” said Venezia, who now serves as the interim executive director. “Everyone is so used to seeing her smiling face on the streets, and now, we can go see her plaque with her beautiful, smiling face.”

Coupled with the memorial, stories such as Stromberg’s, Cassa’s and Venezia’s keep Kunze’s spirit alive, and to Schwendener that means everything. On the plaque, Kunze’s work is compressed into a kind, simple note: “She contributed so much and in so many lasting ways to the success of our downtown.”

“We’re so proud that my daughter will have this legacy of my mom,” Schwendener said.