In Memoriam: Raymond Zomchek

Raymond Zomchek, longtime owner of Bensenville, Illinois-based Colley Elevator Co., passed away on May 18 at age 87. A prominent figure in the elevator industry, Zomchek was instrumental in building the company into one of Chicagoland’s largest independent elevator contractors. He was active in the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) and the Chicago Elevator Association, receiving NAEC’s President’s Award in 2018. Zomchek was born on a dairy farm in Southfork, Wisconsin, in 1935. He joined the U.S. Army and served his country in Korea and Germany. After leaving military service, Zomchek made his way to Chicago to work at a casket factory while attending the Illinois Institute of Technology on the G.I. Bill. In 1959, he began a career in the elevator industry as a draftsman at Gallaher & Speck. Zomchek moved to Colley Elevator 60 years ago to perform drafting and engineering during the construction boom of the 1960s and 70s. In 1973, he became a partner and moved the company to its present Bensenville location. Zomchek then became sole owner/operator from 1984 until 2007, when Dennis Jedd (now retired) and his son, Craig, became partners in the business. Zomchek’s survivors include wife, Pamm; children, Paul, Kim, Brian and Craig; and seven grandchildren. — submitted by Colley Elevator