Jewel-Osco President Dies At Age 55

LAKE COUNTY, IL – A well-liked top executive with Jewel-Osco, who once said his strategy for keeping his supermarket chain up and running was to stay "hungry and humble," has died following a short illness at age 55. Doug Cygan, a 1981 graduate of Mundelein High School, began working as a parking lot cart clerk at the Jewel-Osco in Mundelein at the age of 17, according to media reports. Cygan, of Wadsworth, died Thursday morning.

"Doug was a popular president, a strong leader within the company and in the community. Everyone at Jewel-Osco is devastated by his passing-as he was loved by all, according to a statement from the company posted on the Jewel-Osco Facebook page.

Over the years, Doug served in a variety of operational roles and marketing/merchandising positions, including store director, marketing director, vice president of fresh merchandising and vice president of grocery merchandising.

He was promoted to president of the supermarket chain in 2017, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Cygan, who earned a bachelor's degree in food distribution from Western Michigan University, served on boards for Northern Illinois Food Bank and NorthPointe Resources.

In lieu of flowers, Cygan's family is requesting donations be made to Northern Illinois Food Bank at http://SolveHungerToday.org/Cygan or Greater Chicago Food Depository at http://chicagosfoodbank.org/Cygan. Donations may also be mailed to either organization with reference to the Doug Cygan memorial.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Photo caption: Doug Cygan/Photo credit: Jewel-Osco Facebook page