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Hundreds mourn Van Lier

By Fred Mitchell | Tribune reporter

Tears of sorrow mixed with tears of joyous memories as hundreds of mourners paid tribute to Bulls legend Norm Van Lier on Sunday.

His widow, Susan Van Lier, and daughters Hillary and Heidi accepted condolences during the wake at the Michalik Funeral Home, 1056 W. Chicago Ave. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the 4th Presbyterian Church of Chicago, 126 E. Chestnut St.

On display near the coffin were pictures of Van Lier from his playing career. A huge floral arrangement sent by one of Van Lier's favorite musical groups, Chicago, adorned the room.

Van Lier died Thursday at 61.

Former Bears linebacker Doug Buffone, who teamed with Van Lier on "The Bull and the Bear Show" on WSCR-AM 670, said he was struggling with the stunning death of his longtime friend.

"You can say what you want about Michael Jordan and what a great player he was for the Bulls," Buffone said. "But nobody related to the fans of Chicago the way Norm did. They loved him. I'll really miss him."

Former Bulls Tom Boerwinkle, LaRue Martin, Bill Wennington and Bobby Wilson also attended Sunday's visitation. So did Chicago congressman Danny Davis, longtime Bulls security man John Capps and all the children of the late Johnny "Red" Kerr.

Other attendees included former Bulls Kendall Gill and Dave Corzine, as well as Van Lier's former broadcast colleagues Tom Dore, Steve Kashul, Lou Canellis, Chet Coppock, Tom Shaer, Kerry Sayers, Dyrol Joyner and Mark Schanowski. In addition, former Tribune NBA writer Sam Smith, former St. Francis teammate Sam Sloan, longtime Bulls senior vice president Irwin Mandell, Bulls stats crew member Chris Wilson, veteran clubhouse man Joe Lee and equipment manager John Ligmanowski.

Mike North and Dan Jiggetts, Comcast SportsNet hosts of "Monsters in the Morning," also attended the wake.

"It was pretty hard to get through the shows the past couple of days," North said. "This really hit hard. Norm was the best."

Greg Mamula was a classmate of Van Lier's when the Midland (Pa.) Leopards went undefeated on the way to a state championship in 1965.

"I remember one game when Norm got fouled real hard," said Mamula, who now lives in La Porte, Ind., with his wife, Janet. "Norm's mother (Helen) ran out onto the court with an umbrella and chased the kid who fouled her son. She kept yelling, 'You hit my Ookie! You hit my Ookie!' That was Norm's nickname back then."

George Loukas, who owns several Wrigleyville establishments, recalled hiring Van Lier after his playing days.

"Norm didn't have a job at the time, and he asked me if he could be a 'jazz consultant' for me at the Cubby Bear," Loukas said. "I paid him a couple of hundred bucks a week, and I think that kind of got him noticed again before he started up his broadcast career. I plan to get a No. 2 Van Lier Bulls jersey to hang up in the restaurant."

Kerr's sister, Joan, attended Sunday's wake for Van Lier and disputed the notion that Kerr did not invite Van Lier to be part of his special ceremony Feb. 10 at the United Center.

"Red loved Norm," she said of the mix-up. "He was on Johnny's list."

Kerr's wake will be from 2-9 p.m. Tuesday and again Wednesday at the same times at Chapel Hill Garden West, Hennessy Bruno Funeral Home, 17W201 Roosevelt Rd., Oakbrook Terrace. Kerr's funeral is at 11 a.m. Thursday at the same location.

Keith Holmes, a close friend of Van Lier, said he will continue to push having Van Lier's No. 2 jersey retired by the Bulls.

Van Lier was hailed as a man of the people Sunday, attracting a diverse group that included Comcast executives such as Jim Corno, Charlie Schumacher and Kevin Cross and Bulls representatives Bob Love -- a former teammate and close friend -- Tim Hallam and Sebrina Brewster.

Van Lier's funeral will be Monday. He will be buried near his childhood home in Pennsylvania, where another service will be held Thursday.

fmitchell@tribune.com