Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

PASSAGES: Community leader and retired business owner Martin Enright dies
by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times
2017-12-03

This article shared 1872 times since Sun Dec 3, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Martin "Marty" Enright, 85, died Nov. 29 of pancreatic cancer.

At the time of his death, he was living in Tallahassee, Florida with his long-time ( since 1975 ) husband George Brophy. They were married on Jan. 6, 2015—the day Florida legalized same-sex marriages. Their wedding was featured in the local paper, Tallahassee Democrat and a number of other media outlets.

Enright was born June 20, 1932 in Chicago near O'Hare Airport and was raised in Harwood Heights. He attended Lane Tech High School prior to embarking on a career as an electrician, just like his father. Enright started an apprenticeship with Electrical Union Local 134 in his later teen years.

Shortly thereafter, he was drafted by the Navy to serve in the Korean War in the Seabee Reserves preparing the terrain for military usage and later doing regular maintenance work on the bases where he was stationed ( Midway Islands and the Philippines ).

Following the war, Enright started an electrical contracting business, Evanston Electric, in Chicago with his older brother Dennis. They ran the business together for about 10 years until Marty decided to strike out on his own for the next 20-plus years.

Enright and Brophy opened the iconic western casual-themed Buddies' Restaurant & Bar in 1988 on Clark Street in Lakeview and continued running the establishment until they sold the business in 2004.

Over the years, Buddies' supported many organizations including Equality Illinois, Heartland Alliance's Vital Bridges Food Program, Center on Halsted, Howard Brown Health, Dining Out for Life, Great Lakes Bears, the Illinois Gay Rodeo Association, LesBiGay Radio, Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame and sponsored numerous men's and women's LGB softball teams.

In 1999, Buddies' was chosen by Genre magazine as one of the nation's top 10 gayest restaurants and in 2003 it was inducted into Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame for its many contributions to the community.

Prior to meeting and falling in love with Brophy, Enright was married to his wife Mickey for about 20 years. They had six children ( one of whom was adopted ) together and lived in Chicago and later Florida. When the divorce was finalized, Enright moved back to the Chicago area ( where he met and fell in love with Brophy ) where he stayed until his retirement.

The couple got involved with Equality Florida soon after moving to the state to continue the fight for LGBTQ rights there.

In addition to Brophy, Enright is survived by his children ( Dierdre Edwards, Mary Fish, Martin Enright Jr., Michael Enright and William "Billy" Enright ), sister Rosemary Gartska, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, countless nieces and nephews, his Great Dane dogs Lollipop and Skyy and his chosen family. He was preceded in death by his son Joseph Enright and siblings Winston Enright, Katherine Kelliher, Maury Enright, MaryAnn Harris, William Enright and Dennis.

"The one thing I know about Marty after loving him for 42 years was he was a true gentleman, and gentleman know when it is time to leave," said Brophy. "He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten by me and everyone else who loved him."

"As a gay man, when he was younger, Uncle Marty had to live two lives: the one society forced on him and the one that he ultimately owned," said his niece Laura Enright. "Yet, his memoir is titled The Best of Two Lives. He relished the joy in them both. And when able to live openly, he did so full throttle, honoring who he was and his community. He faced adversity in his life, not just due to his sexuality, yet he took situations and people as they came. No judgment. Whenever I was with him, I felt effervescent. I am so proud of how he lived his life. Always a smile on his face and in his voice."

"If Marty connected with you he made the effort to remain part of your life no matter the physical distance and that was the case with the two of us," said long-time friend and Buddies' employee Greg Boreham. "When I moved to Chicago, I got the job at Buddies' and because Marty and George welcomed me with open arms I decided to make the city my home. We happened to move to Florida ( me in Naples and them in Tallahassee ) within a year of each other so we were able to see each other on a regular basis. He was also friends with my mom and came over to her house to play poker when he visited us. I will miss him and his down-to-earth, salt-of-the-earth genuine candor about people and the world around him."

"I met Marty in the winter of 1996 through our dogs, but the funny thing is neither of us knew each other was gay for a long time," said long-time friend Mimi Chryssikos. "Then one day in the neighborhood we ran into each other. Marty was with George and I was with my then very butch lover Olga so the cat was out of the bag. Marty shared wonderful stories about his life, including his time in the Korean War and how he felt about George. We also shared our tragedies, including the death of his adopted son.

"He was a wonderful, caring, well-rounded, good-hearted, wise human being who helped me with my business ventures, in the romance department and with parenting questions. There was a little joke between the two of us. I lost my father at an early age, and since I could not visit his grave I had a picture and candle to remember him that one friend called the dead zone. Marty used to say 'I do not want my picture over there, not yet.' Well you finally made it to the dead zone Marty. I will be sending you kisses from here to heaven my buddy."

"I am honored and blessed to have known Marty," said long-time friend and Buddies' employee Alicia Gellineau. "I will never forget his kindness. He will truly be missed and always be remembered."

"Marty, along with his husband George, was an active, positive force in our community, particularly through their restaurant/bar, Buddies', which became a community institution," said Sidetrack co-owner Art Johnston. "Organizations knew that Marty, George and their staff were always generous in lending their spaces and helping provide food and other supplies to community groups."

Memorial services are pending. Brophy has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to Covenant Hospice and Leon County Humane Society ( both in Tallahassee, Florida ) in Enright's memory.


This article shared 1872 times since Sun Dec 3, 2017
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty 2024-03-14
- Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Bryan Dean Wilson 2024-03-14
- Bryan Dean Wilson, 64, of Chicago, passed away March 11. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bryan graduated from Washington High school in Cedar Rapids before earning his B.S. in Biology from Mount Mercy University, also in ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Charles R. Tobin 2024-03-03
- Charles R. Tobin, 81, peacefully passed away on Dec. 23, 2023, in the company of his husband, after living with Lewey body dementia for several years. Charlie was born and raised in the Fernwood neighborhood on ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Trailblazing judge and attorney Patricia M. Logue passes away 2024-02-26
- The Honorable Patricia Logue ("Pat" to her friends, Trish" to her family) was a brilliant lawyer, a trailblazing jurist and a hero to the LGBTQ community. Pat's legacy includes numerous landmark cases she litigated over her ...


Gay News

Oklahoma non-binary student dies after being assaulted 2024-02-21
- Officials acknowledged there are unresolved questions about a 16-year-old non-binary Oklahoma student who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom, NBC News noted. Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, ...


Gay News

GLAAD remembers Cecilia Gentili, transgender Latina, actress, activist, health care activist, journalist 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (New York, NY - February 6, 2024) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to the death of transgender actress and advocate Cecilia Gentili and elevating voices of transgender and political leaders honoring ...


Gay News

More information emerges about death on Atlantis gay cruise 2024-02-04
By Lu Calzada - Further details have emerged following the death of a Chicago man on a Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Atlantis cruise targeted towards gay men. Following a Reddit post by the man's sister — which has ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Imperial Court's Scott Archer remembered as selfless, devoted 2024-02-04
By Alec Karam - As the old saying goes, we all have an angel on one shoulder, and a devil on the other. Well, Scott Archer was all angel, his best friend Herman Coen believes. "Everybody wanted to talk to Scott, because Scott was Scott," ...


Gay News

Broadway star Chita Rivera dies at 91 2024-01-30
- Chita Rivera—a Broadway legend with more than seven decades of credits—has died at age 91 after a short illness, People Magazine reported. "It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved ...


Gay News

PASSSAGES Chef Michael Thomas Zito 2024-01-02
- Chef Michael Thomas Zito, 55, ("Chef Bear Italia" and "Big Chef") passed away December 12, 2023, unexpectedly at home in Chicago's Belmont Gardens neighborhood. Born in Kentucky to Pentecostal missionaries from New York, Mike began cooking ...


Gay News

Gay political trailblazer Ken Sherrill passes away at age 81 2023-12-30
- Kenneth Sherrill—a pioneering political scientist who was also the first out gay elected official in New York history—died in early December at age 81 from surgical complications, Gay City News reported. He is survived by his ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Paris Johnson 2023-12-29
- Paris Johnson, 29, of Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, passed away unexpectedly Nov. 28. He would have celebrated his 30th birthday Dec. 20. Born into a military family in Sacramento, California, Paris moved often in his youth, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.