Long-time Wheaton Business Owner Vernon Soukup Dies at 89

Vernon Philip Soukup, who ran Soukup’s Hardware Store in Wheaton for more than 30 years, passed away on April 15, the Chicago Tribune reported. He died of natural causes at the Lexington Square assisted-living community in Elmhurst.

“Vernon was a very kind, considerate guy who would take as much time as necessary with a customer, even if the customer was only going to buy a 50-cent washer or screw,” Mark Carlson, the part-owner of the family-run Carlson Paint, Glass & Art Stores told the Tribune.

The store bought Mr. Soukup’s store from him in 1987. It was at that time that Soukup moved to Algonquin.

Soukup was an Algonquin resident who was born in Oak Park. He grew up in Wheaton. His family - father, Erwin, and his father’s two brothers individually opened hardware stores in Wheaton, Elmhurst and Hinsdale.

Soukup was a longtime member of the Wheaton Rotary Club and stayed active in the group even after moving to Algonquin.

Services for Soukup will take place in Barrington.