The Early Years
Quinn Edward Lanus Jr. was born in Chicago, IL on May 26th, 1957 to a single, unwed college student from Beaumont, Texas. His given name at birth was Gary Lynn Bourgeois, and he was immediately placed into the care of the Catholic Home Bureau, a child welfare agency, for the first six months of his life. Soon, he was adopted by Quinn Edward Lanus, Sr. and Mary Kaye (Walsch), a city-worker and schoolteacher respectively, and given his known name of Quinn Jr. Much of this was never disclosed to Quinn until later in adulthood.
He was raised in the Edgebrook neighborhood on Chicago’s northwest side. Although little is known of his childhood experiences aside from a pet frog named Charlie that he spoke fondly of, by high school he had established himself as a gear-head with the occasional penchant for trouble. Friends from his youth invariably remember him in his blue Pontiac GTO, revving his engine down Dempster Avenue wearing a black leather jacket like out of a scene from Grease (although it hadn’t been made yet). He played full back on the high school football team and graduated from Notre Dame High School in Niles, IL in 1975.
Young Adulthood
After graduating from high school, Quinn was eager to get away and see the world. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and trained at Great Lakes Naval Station as well as NAS Memphis before being assigned to the crew of the U.S.S. Constellation – an aircraft carrier stationed in sunny San Diego, CA. He made frequent trips between Chicago and San Diego, using a brick as a makeshift cruise control while driving his GTO along Route 66.
Aboard the “Connie”, as the sailors called it, he rose within the ranks of the aviation anti-submarine warfare unit, which supported all facets of carrier based Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), surface surveillance, Search and Rescue (SAR), and operations conducted by MH-60R and E-2 Hawkeye aircraft. Through his 6 year tour of service with the Navy, he was able to get drunk in exotic, faraway locales such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Thailand all while ostensibly serving his country. This included a record setting 110 day cruise at Gonzo Station in the Arabian Sea during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, for which he (and everyone aboard the ship) was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal (as well as two beers).
Upon his honorable discharge as a Second-class Petty Officer (E-5) in November 1981, he returned to the Chicagoland area and began renting an apartment in Skokie. He worked as a technician for DataGraphix, repairing microfilm equipment throughout the city. Each February, he and his friends threw an annual beach party in one of their apartments – complete with Mai Thais, a kiddy pool, and even live goldfish. They blasted the heat and required all guests to be Lei’d.
This led to the fateful 1984 party where he met an awkward young lady who had just spilled a pitcher of beer, named Mary Kasper. The suave bartender asked her out on a coffee date. For their second date, Quinn selected the Museum of Science and Industry – where he eagerly explained to her the Doppler Effect. Afterwards, he offered her a choice between getting “gook food” or pizza. She chose pizza, unfamiliar with the racial slurs commonly used in the US Military... They soon saw Richard Lewis perform at Zanies, and things started getting serious. In April 1984, Quinn’s Mom became sick with pneumonia and passed away in May. He promptly quit smoking cigarettes.
By July of the same year, he decided Mary was the one, and he was ready to take the “plunge.” He, of course, took this euphemism too far and whilst proposing, revealed the engagement ring beneath a literal plunger. To this day, one still wonders why she accepted such a (crappy) proposal.
Family Life
As newlyweds, they honeymooned in San Francisco and soon embarked upon their next great adventure – a family. Quinn and Mary selected a home – one of three cookie-cutter models – in a soon-to-be-built section of tract housing in suburban Elk Grove Village. Quinn dutifully visited the bourgeoning construction site to document its progress from empty field, to a hole in the wintry ground, all the way through its completion in the autumn of 1987. They paid $112,000 for the three bedroom, 1500sq foot home that they have remained in to this day.
Meanwhile, Mary had deftly negotiated with an indifferent Quinn about having their first child. Mary wanted a baby, and Quinn wanted a new computer. A deal was struck, and almost immediately, they both got what they desired. Christopher Quinn was born in November of 1987 and so began Quinn’s life as a Father.
In 1989 – the same year Quinn’s second son, Stephen Joseph, was born – he began a new job with the Signature Group – a subsidiary of Montgomery Ward & Co – where he cut his teeth working more directly with computers. Each year or two, he gained further responsibilities and skills in the increasingly important technology side of the business, with a focus on Network Administration. By the mid-90’s, he was managing the company’s entire network infrastructure and operations. When his young sons would inquire as to what exactly he did all day for work, Quinn would explain it in beautifully simplistic terms: “I help computers talk to each other.” All of this was self-taught, driven by books and hands-on learning.
In 1996, Quinn’s third son, Matthew Edward, was born. As he rose through the ranks of the company, he knew that supporting a family of five would require greater mobility in the managerial ranks – despite his preference for the nitty gritty operational functions. He knew his lack of college degree might limit him. With a voracious appetite for new skills and knowledge, he enrolled part-time at Roosevelt University to begin working towards a bachelor's degree during evenings. By 2002, he achieved this goal, graduating with honors.
Somehow throughout this period, he accelerated his role in the Dad-domain as well. How he found the time and energy, nobody knows (perhaps sacrificing his health…). As his older boys began playing sports, Quinn aggressively supported their efforts by serving as coach, mentor, and practice partner. If one were to quantify the time he played catch, threw batting practice, hit grounders and fly balls, recorded and watched tape, developed and taught drills, instilled discipline, and so much more – the numbers would frighten even the most ambitious of parents. With baseball alone, he easily crossed the 10,000 hours threshold – which says nothing of his efforts with basketball, Tae kwon do, and the myriad other sports and extracurriculars that dominated the Lanus family’s time.
He showed up to cross country meets, musicals, recitals, and everything in between. He managed travel baseball teams, basketball teams, assisted with hockey, bowling, and built model rockets with his boys. He taught them chess, poker, Risk, and hearts. He taught them personal finance, photography, and how to drive. He was at the dinner table every night, and presided over egg-making for their weekly Sunday brunch. His presence was constant, and his support for their development full-throated. The fact that he managed to even keep his job, let alone thrive and progress in it while acquiring advanced degrees, seems to defy reality.
Nonetheless, Quinn persisted in his growth as both a professional, student, and father. After the Signature Group was acquired by GE in 1999, he continued as a Network Systems Manager and Infrastructure Architect – managing the day-to-day operations of a massive internal system of databases, application and file servers, and thousands of users across the entire U.S. By 2005, his itch for another degree returned, and he began the MBA program at Roosevelt during nights and weekends. This was after achieving other professional certifications such as Six Sigma and PMP while balancing work and family life.
Perhaps some of this professional achievement was driven by his commitment to financially supporting the education of his three sons – who began attending rather pricier schools than the public ones they went to K through 8. Beginning with Chris in 2002, Quinn and Mary redirected their sons (and much of their paychecks) to Saint Viator High School, and eventually the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University. The priority was always education, and Quinn sacrificed many alternatives to provide them opportunities for the very best institutions.
Eventually, his time at GE ended around 2009 when the business he had worked on for the past 4 years – a platform for real-time monitoring of tractor trailer cargo – was sold and moved down to Plano, Texas. He was given the option to stay but would have had to move the family to the Lone Star State. For a lifelong northerner with two college sons in the Chicago area, and the youngest about to start high school, he prioritized family – as he almost always did – even in the midst of a major recession. He emerged victorious. Not only did he finally graduate with his MBA, but he soon found an IT operations leadership position with SunGard Financial Systems – which served as an operational backbone of the banking sector.
His four years there were among his best. He was confident and competent, and enjoyed the admiration of his peers and subordinates alike. He found the work engaging, and the client-oriented hobnobbing re-energized his lust for the finer parts of life. Traveling, cigars, music, and cocktails became fuel for the Vacation-Quinn alter-ego his family soon came to know, which had been lurking beneath the surface during the years of stressful child rearing and professional striving.
Later Years
Back in 2009, shortly after turning 52, Quinn was strong-armed into focusing a bit more on his health. A routine physical revealed a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Years of eating out for lunch, endless baked goods, and a rather nonexistent exercise routine (not to mention unfortunate genetics and myriad other factors) manifested in the disease, and demanded action. With Mary’s help, Quinn promptly adopted new eating habits, implemented a workout schedule, and adjusted his lifestyle (to a degree). Within a couple of years, he lost over 60 pounds and nearly reacquired the “skinny Quinny” moniker that followed him through his adolescence and young adulthood.
Nonetheless, as the years went on and old stresses resurfaced, the endless sitting at work and easy allure of the all-American diet made it difficult to maintain the progress. Unexpectedly, in 2013, he was laid off by Sungard. The private equity overlords of the company had squeezed out as much profit as they could, and now looked to cut costs before a potential sale. With a sudden loss of income and his youngest son entering freshman year at the exorbitantly expensive University of Notre Dame, Quinn did what he always did – endured without complaint.
He returned to the job market and pounded the pavement until he found himself back through the doors of his old outfit – General Electric – by early 2014. His homecoming to GE harkened back to his first job after the Navy, working downtown in the Loop which provided a perfect excuse for he and his middle son to meet up after hours for drinks at Ceres (CBOT) and cigars at Iwan Ries & Co.
By the 2010’s, with his responsibility as the economic engine to his family’s ambitions largely realized, work became secondary to enjoyment of life. He relished the opportunity to travel whenever given the chance. In 2010, Chris, Steve, and Quinn road tripped to San Diego and visited the old haunts from his days stationed there in the Navy – including a decommissioned aircraft carrier. He reveled in work trips to Las Vegas, New York, Miami, and family visits with his son living in LA. Quinn and Mary checked off New Orleans from their list, and spent a week in London where their youngest son studied abroad. In early 2017 Quinn and Steve took advantage of eased diplomatic relations with Cuba to go on a rum-and-cigar filled adventure in Havana.
He dabbled in connoisseurship of bourbon and scotch, and never said no to a well-made Old Fashioned. When not fixing things around the homes of his sons, he could reliably be found on the porch of the Elk Grove home – smoking cigars, holding court with the neighbors, and reading non-fiction. He primarily read books on classical and quantum physics, cell biology, history, and linguistics. His knowledge was expansive and deep. He provided wise counsel to all who asked, and generously listened more than he spoke.
He retired once in 2020 for a few brief months, and finally again for good at the end of 2021. During the spring of 2020, his middle son introduced him to a new obsession: golf. Quinn – the eternal learner – took to it like a duck to water. He spent countless hours at the driving range, taking private lessons, watching Youtube videos, and most importantly: playing the game. Within a mere 2.5 year span of the 2020-2022 golf season, he logged approximately 200 rounds (including 9-hole rounds) – going from an ludicrously high handicap to a respectable 15. Few could believe he was a novice. This passion was augmented by three trips to Puerto Rico to visit his son, where he could continue to refine his game during the winter, while simultaneously spending time with his 3rd grandson.
Quinn’s commitment to loving, supporting, and championing his sons was seamlessly expanded to his 3 grandchildren (Gabe, Theo, Remy) the moment they arrived, starting in 2019. Without missing a beat, he refocused his efforts on their joy. He loved nothing more than tossing balls with them in the backyard, playing trucks, and booping them on the nose.
On December 18th, 2022, Quinn was helping Mary with brunch preparations in anticipation of a family gathering with the full Lanus crew. Not feeling well, he powered through without complaint until he could go on no more. Upon arriving at the hospital, he made it clear that his only priority was that the boys (the little ones) got to open their gifts.
After nearly a year of struggle, his body succumbed to the damage inflicted by the severe stroke. He passed away in his longtime home surrounded by his wife, his boys, and the families they started modeled after his own.
