Off-Duty Glenview Police Officer Killed in Car Accident, Remembered Fondly by Saint Viator Teammates
Some 25 years after Rob Fryc '99 played soccer at Saint Viator, his teammates and head coach still remember him. He was an attacking-style outside forward who played a role in their 3rd-place finish at the IHSA state semi-finals in 1997 and in their 17-6-2 finish in 1998, which led them to regionals.
“The kid played for the love of the game,” said former Head Coach Mike Taylor. “He had such a demeanor about him. He just loved to play.”
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“The kid played for the love of the game,” said former Head Coach Mike Taylor. “He had such a demeanor about him. He just loved to play.”
Coach Taylor described him as a “tall, lanky kid, with decent speed,” but his joy in playing was contagious to his teammates. One of them, Tim Grodek ’99, described Rob as a good teammate, but it was his sense of humor that he remembers most.
“He had a great sense of humor, with this dry wit that was unusual for a kid his age,” Grodek says. “He wasn’t goofy, but really funny.”
The two soccer teammates kept in touch for a few years after high school, but recently, they met up again at Peggy Kinnane’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Arlington Heights.
“It was the first summer after we bought Peggy’s,” says Grodek, who, with his wife, Stacey, purchased the pub in June 2021. “He was there with his wife and just said to me, ‘Hey, remember me?’ “
Both Grodek and Taylor said that was typical of Rob’s understated humor. He returned one more time to Peggy’s, Grodek remembers, but seeing one of his soccer teammates come out to support his new business made an impression.
“He was just a good guy,” Grodek said.
Rob grew up in Arlington Heights and attended Our Lady of the Wayside School before attending Saint Viator. The grammar school learned of his untimely passing, and its students will remember Rob in prayer on Wednesday at their all-school Mass.
According to news reports, Rob was driving from his home in Cary to his job as a police officer in Glenview when the crash occurred around 4:00 a.m. Sunday in the 200 block of South Northwest Highway in Barrington.
Just this month, Rob was honored by the village board of Glenview for helping save another officer’s life last summer. He served with the police department since 2007 and, before that, for one year as a public service officer in the village of Niles.
Visitation will take place Thursday from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Glueckert Funeral Home in Arlington Heights, with a 10 a.m. funeral Mass on Friday at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of the Wayside Church.
Saint Viator High School
Located in Arlington Heights, IL, Saint Viator High School is a private, co-ed, Catholic school for grades 9-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
