When Don Savage was eleven years old in 1929, he used the money he made carrying newspapers to purchase a bleacher ticket for his first Chicago Cubs World Series game.
The lifelong Cubs fan missed the World Series in Chicago in 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945, as well as the title game that year. Still, he persisted with it.
At last, he watched the Cubs win it all in 2016 at the age of 98. Friends said he was “hope personified.”
Savage, a 70-year Sauganash inhabitant, passed away on December 11. He was 106 years old.
Ginny Warner and Peggy Schumacher, his two daughters, are his surviving children.
One of Savage’s pals, Joe Sanner, described him as “living history.” He was passionate with baseball’s background and facts, not just the game itself. His thinking was like a trap. He was able to recall every detail.
He was also a legendary 16-inch softball player who, five years ago, continued to practice batting even after turning 100.
Savage had a great passion for softball; he spent nearly 80 years participating in local leagues and was recognized into the 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame. According to Chris Downes, a board member of the Hall of Fame, Savage’s 1944 Northtown softball uniform is on exhibit in the North Park location of the hall.
Longtime buddy Bob Pennelle claimed that regardless of the weather, Savage would drive throughout the city to play and watch other teams.
He put everything into his sports. Pennelle stated, “He wanted everyone else to give it their all, and if you didn’t, you’d hear about it.”
Savage always had a good impact and assisted in getting people to the games.
According to Downes, “He’s just had an impact on people’s lives in general, not just 16-inch softball.” “Many would claim that knowing Don has made them a better person.”
However, Savage was not limited to baseball as his pastimes. He had season tickets to the Chicago Bears for seventy-five years and was an ardent football enthusiast who supported Notre Dame. Sanner recalls that Savage used to stop on his way home from Gateway Building Products, where he worked for more than 70 years until retirement, to play football with the local children in the street.
