Longtime Naperville Mayor George Pradel In Hospice Care

NAPERVILLE, IL — George Pradel, who served as Naperville's mayor for 20 years, is in hospice care, his family announced Sunday. Pradel, 80, was admitted to Edward Hospital a few weeks ago, where doctors discovered a cancerous tumor. The cancer has spread throughout his body, according to his children, George, Carol and Gary, who have gathered at his bedside.

They posted a message Sunday to Mayor Pradel's many friends and supporters throughout Naperville.

As you may know, our dad, A. George Pradel (known to most as "George," "Officer Friendly," or even "Mayor Pradel") is currently in hospice care. Several weeks ago, he was admitted to Edward Hospital, suffering from severe pain in his back and neck. Doctors found a cancerous tumor. The cancer quickly spread to his whole body.

Unfortunately, he is in too much pain to have visitors. We are trying to make him comfortable as he drifts in and out of consciousness. Because of this, our remaining time with him is very precious. We want to thank everyone who has shown respect and love for our father and our family by giving us privacy and time alone with him.

Words cannot express our appreciation for your prayers, thoughts, and well-wishes. Dad told us how much this means to him. If you know George, you know he would like to be available to everyone right now. But since that's not possible, we created this website.

Messages may be left at Write To Mayor Pradel. The children say they will read the messages to their father.

Pradel was elected to five terms as mayor, retiring in 2015 as the city's longest serving mayor. Prior to that, he served on the city's police force for 29 years, where he earned the nickname "Officer Friendly" for his work with local children.

In Pradel's final state of the city address, delivered in January 2015, he reflected on the path that led him to the police force and eventually the mayor's office.

It may be a surprise to you that I never had my heart set on being mayor. As a child, I probably couldn't tell you who the mayor was. I just knew I wanted to help others, especially children. ...

Life intervened, as it often does, and my desire to help others led me to become a police officer.
When I decided to retire from the police force, people started asking me to run for mayor. I decided to listen to them. I figured I could just say "I tried" when I lost the election. But then I won!

You've heard the saying that hindsight is 20/20. If I knew then what I know now about being the Mayor . . . it's absolutely astounding and amazing.

His wife of 55 years, Pat, died in August 2015. Naperville's Safety Town is named in their honor. On Washington Street, a statue of George Pradel shows him greeting children. These are just a few of the many signs of Naperville's respect and affection for the man. Four years ago, the Naperville Chamber of Commerce presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with children.

"Thank you, again, for your love and concern," his children wrote on Sunday. "It means everything to George and to our family."

photo: George Pradel is sworn in for his fifth term in 2011. Patch file photo, by Ben Gross