OLAFire Logo
Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958




<< Joseph MaffiolaReturn To ListLinda Malinski>>
Raymond Makowski
Room Age Birthdate Grade B/G/T
211 12 12/29/45 8 Boy
Teacher
Sister Mary Helaine O'Neill, BVM
Address
947 N Avers 
Family
Father: Joseph Makowski, Sr.
Mother: Genevieve (Bartoszek) Makowski
Brother: Joseph Makowski, Jr.
Sister: Mary Ann Makowski
Grandmother: Anna Makowski 
About Raymond
Raymond was an altar boy and a Boy Scout. Raymond's sister, Mary Ann, passed away at age 81 on the 62nd anniversary of the fire. 
Interred: St. Adalbert (Niles, IL)
Memories of Raymond
Raymond was a very smart young man. I remember him doing very well in school. He was an alter boy, and I served mass with him many times. After the fire, his parents moved to St. Ferdinand Parish, and lived across the alley from my family. My mom and his mom became good friends. Mrs. Makowski often spoke of Raymond, and I found it difficult sometimes when I would see her. His brother became a dentist, and my mom and sister went to him for dental work. If Raymond had survived, I believe that he would have been a doctor, lawyer, or otherwise been very successful in life.

Ed Glanz, Classmate and friend
    -- (Ed Glanz, Friend)


My name is Ned Spiros, and Ray was in Cub Scouts with me. I really loved him and he was like a big brother to me. I have a picture of Ray and myself in our Cub Scout uniforms that my dad took in my back yard. I never had a brother but Ray was like a brother to me. He always helped me when I needed help and always had a smile and a kind word. When I lost him I could never undersand why, and I never talked to anyone about it because I didn't know how. I know it may sound weird to some, but I still talk to him sometimes at night. He was my friend and I don't know why God took him away.

I went to RYERSON SCHOOL but I always wanted to go to OUR LADY OF ANGELS. When the fire broke out, my mom went there with lots of blankets, and when the kids jumped she wraped them up to try to save them. She always told me Ray was out of the school but went back in to save others. I never knew if that was true or she was just trying to make me feel better.I would like to think she is up in heaven now with him and holding him that special way she held me. To Ray's parents I need to apologize because I used to see them sitting outside, so I would cross the street because I didn't know what to say. I AM VERY SORRY FOR THAT. To Ray I want to say I love you and you will never be forgotten. If anyone wants to get in contact with me my email is danspiros2000@yahoo.com
    -- (Ned Daniel Spiros, Friend)


Because of the oddities of alphabets, Raymond would sometimes be seated kitty-corner from me, just one desk behind. I had a terrific crush on him, found him smart and sweet and not at all scary. For a long time after the fire, I would expect to see him coming around a corner.
    -- (michele Barale, Friend)
I was also in the Cub Scouts with Raymond, so I probably knew Ned Spiros, but I cannot honestly say I remember. I have an old black and white picture of Raymond and me in a Cub Scout show, dressed as clowns. I was "Half-Pint" and he was "Half-Quart." My parents were both involved in the Cub Scouts and my father was Cubmaster for a while.

I also went to Ryerson since I was one of the minority who was not Catholic, in fact, we were one of the rare Jewish families. Raymond was a great friend to me, well-loved by all and very popular. My parents thought I was too young to go to the funeral (they may have been right) but I have always regretted that I did not get a chance to say good-bye to my friend.
    -- (John Kane, Friend)


I remember being a good friend of Raymond and was also in Cub Scouts with him. Over the years, his name is the one I always remembered from OLA and the neighborhood. I was in 7th grade at the time of the fire but had moved to the south side that previous August. As kids, we were not permitted to go back into the neighborhood for the memorials and to this day I feel that I never really had a chance to say goodbye to my friend.
    -- (Greg Pizzolato, Friend)