On the clear and windy afternoon of Friday, August 23, the City of Crown Point hosted its annual Tim Grzych Memorial Golf Outing at White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point. This event is held in memory of the late Tim Grzych, a beloved trainer, business owner and member of the Crown Point Board of Works. Tim Grzych’s friends, family and other well-wishers came from across the area to honor his memory. Volunteers, some of whom had known Tim Grzych for many years, took time off from work to help put on the event.
Sponsors of the event included South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA), Gordon Salon, Skyline Media LLC and American Structurepoint, Inc. Leon’s Fabrication, Inc., the family-owned welding and fabrication business that Tim Grzych co-owned and operated for many years, also sponsored the event. Proceeds from the golf outing benefited the Crown Point Community Youth Hockey program, located at the Timothy J. Grzych Rink in Bulldog Park. Proceeds from the raffles and court games benefited the Crown Point Community Foundation’s Timothy J. Grzych Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Karen Grzych, wife of Tim Grzych and Chair of the Tim Grzych Memorial Golf Outing, deeply appreciates the overwhelming support she and her family have received from those who attended the event.
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“This year we especially want to celebrate the relationships we have built,” said Karen Grzych. “Possessions are great, but what really matters are the relationships with others. The people here today are important to our family. Whether they are friends, relatives or business people, they are people who care about us, what we stand for and the causes we raise money for. However, the main reason they are here is to keep Tim’s memory alive. He was a great colleague, boss, father, husband and coach. I am deeply grateful to everyone for coming today to celebrate Tim’s friendship. It is so wonderful and heartwarming.”
Tim Grzych impacted Crown Point in many ways. His company, Leon’s Fabrication, Inc., helped build the hockey rink at Bulldog Park that now bears his name. Tim Grzych also served as a volunteer coach in Schererville and Crown Point for many years. He coached soccer, golf, and basketball and was even a substitute coach for his son Samuel Grzych’s hockey team. Samuel Grzych, co-event coordinator of the memorial golf outing and one of the golfers, believes the memorial golf outing is a great way to honor his father’s memory.
“My dad loved hockey, golf and sports in general,” said Samuel Grzych. “I remember how much he loved coming to my games when I played hockey. We wanted to honor his memory by starting a scholarship that provides financial assistance to Crown Point youth hockey players in need. This event is a way for us to get involved in the community, spend some quality time and donate some money to youth programs where it is needed most. We have beautiful weather here today and I’m looking forward to seeing some of my old friends and even some of my dad’s friends that I haven’t seen in a long time. We look forward to bringing even more smiling faces here at next year’s golf outing.”
Attendees of the memorial golf outing enjoyed course games such as a “closest to the pin” contest and a marshmallow game, where each team of four paid $20 to hit a giant marshmallow as far as possible across the green using Tim Grzych’s golf clubs. A raffle was held in the White Hawk Country Club banquet hall where attendees could win gift cards and gift baskets filled with fun and useful prizes. Attendees also had a chance to win a 50-50 raffle. Alexa Grzych, daughter of Tim Grzych and co-event coordinator, found the memorial golf outing to be a unique opportunity to learn a little more about what her father was like in his youth.
“I hope everyone takes the opportunity to remember how much work my dad put into his friendships and family while they enjoy the event,” Alexa Grzych said. “I’ve enjoyed talking to all the friends he’s made over the years. When I was creating the slideshow for this year’s event, I asked his childhood friends to send photos of him when he was young. I’m going to look at some of the pictures they sent and see my dad make the exact same face I sometimes make. It was really cool to see more of his silly side and see how my brother and I reflect on him. It’s really great to have everyone here together and I’m excited to honor not only my dad but the people who loved and cherished him.”
After returning from the course, the golfers enjoyed a traditional dinner, applauded the winners of the course games and raffles, and chatted with each other while Tim Grzych’s favorite songs – compiled into a playlist by Samuel Grzych – played in the background.
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