Sam Madonia is a long-time local radio personality on WFMB-AM, an ISU grad, Lincoln High School teacher for 31 years (including “Teacher of the Year,”)and Railsplitters’ head baseball coach from 1980-85, as well as public address voice of the Illinois State Fair since 1994 and a big Fair fan.

However, not everybody knows that Sam is also the son of a Lithuanian-American, the late Isabelle Simonavitch, who worked at City, Water Light and Power. Sam, his mother and late Sicilian-American father Sevet Madonia, an SJ-R employee and well-known Republican precinct committeeman for 20 years, lived with the Simonaviches until Sam was 10.

Both grandfathers were coal miners, and his full name, Sam Charles Madonia, is a tribute to both men. Sam is also a proud Springfield Northender, having grown up on Fifth Street across from Lincoln Park.

He is the husband of Alice and father of grown-up daughters Stacey Dillilo of Las Vegas and Anne Hubbard of Springfield–and grandfather of Shea and Sloane Hubbard.

Sam is the oldest of three children. He lost his brother, Tom, in 2002 at age 55 to cancer. His sister, Jeanne, and her husband, Rich, still own the family house on Fifth Street. This information is from Springfield’s Own magazine, and you can read more about Sam at this link:

http://www.springfieldsown.com/features/profile/407/sam-madonia-voice-your-morning-radio

I also read about Eleanor Yuskavich’s 95th birthday a few weeks ago in the SJ-R. Eleanor was born January 1918 to John and Tillie Rinkienve Treinis, and married John Yuskavich, Jr. at St. Vincent de Paul Lithuanian Catholic Church in January 1939.
Mrs. Yuskavich worked in the Treinis family grocery stores owned by her father, and later as an elevator operator at the Hotel Abraham Lincoln, and as a packer at Pillsbury Mills. She also was a full-time homemaker to her family: daughters Mary Ann (Kerry) Wycoff and Patricia Towner.
Mrs. Yuskavich has three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.