For over five decades, if you ordered a pizza at Sam’s Pizza in Oglesby more than once, chances are owner Sammy Leone knew your order when you came in and never had to write it down.

On Saturday afternoon, dozens of longtime customers, friends and families gathered at The Rootbeer Stand in Oglesby to say thank you to Leone during a meet and greet organized to celebrate his retirement.

“It’s just wonderful to see everyone come out,” organizer Doug McManus said, who teamed up with Gary and Lana Peterlin and Elena Ridley, owner of The Rootbeer Stand, to host the event. “Sam’s been a part of Oglesby for so long - generations of families grew up coming into his shop. We just wanted to give people a chance to say thank you.”

The event coincided with National Pizza Maker Day and included a fundraiser for the Oglesby Police Department’s “Bikes for Kids Christmas” program.

Leone opened Sam’s Pizza in 1971 and operated the longtime Oglesby staple until retiring last year because of health concerns.

“People didn’t even have to tell him what they wanted - he just knew,” McManus said. “He could tell by who was calling whether they wanted mushrooms that night or not.”

For many, ordering pizza from Sam’s was a family tradition. Angela Walgenbach, who attended Saturday’s event with her son Jameson, said she’s been coming to Leone’s shop since she was 4 years old.

“I couldn’t even see over the counter back then,” Walgenbach said. “His mom would always hand me a little bit of cheese. She did the same thing years later with my own daughter.”

She recalled one particularly special moment when she was invited behind the counter.

“He had me call over to the Illinois Valley Food Center because he was almost out of sausage,” she said, laughing. “It was such an honor to be back there; nobody ever got to go behind the counter with Sam.”

Walgenbach said the turnout on Saturday was bittersweet.

“We miss him so much,” she said. “But it’s just wonderful to see everyone come together for him.”

Leone arrived at the event in style - escorted by the Oglesby Police Department in a one-car parade with lights and sirens. Inside the Rootbeer Stand, people lined up to greet him, share memories and take photos.

Signs around the stand displayed many of Leone’s familiar sayings: “Keepa da change,” “Computer broken,” and “Phone off hook.”

“He’s just tickled pink,” Peterlin said. “He’s really enjoyed seeing all these people. You can feel the affection — people really miss him.”

Leone explained he was glad to see so many familiar faces on Saturday afternoon.

“Amo la gente,” Leone said in Italian, meaning “I love the people.”