Arthur E. Lax, the late owner of Lax Mortuary, was honored with a resolution designating his name as an honorary street name at the Oct. 5 Kankakee City Council meeting.
Arthur Lax’s wife, Ann Lax, the couple’s two daughters, their extended family and employees came to the City Council meeting in celebration of the resolution’s passing.
Arthur E. Lax Avenue, the honorary street name, will be located at two intersections, Ann Lax said. One will be placed at the intersection of South Greenwood Avenue and East Merchant Street, and the second will be placed at the intersection of East Court Street and South Greenwood Avenue.
An unveiling of the street signs will be held Nov. 1.
Arthur and Ann Lax were married for 44 years, and she said she feels honored to have her husband’s name a part of Kankakee.
“Just the thought of seeing his name on a street sign is overwhelming,” she said.
Lax, who died Aug. 11, was a Kankakee resident for 37 years, his wife said. Lax opened the business soon after moving to Kankakee, and even spent time serving on the city’s planning board.
Jessica Andrade, District 13 Kankakee County Board member, said she first met Lax when she started at the city’s planning board. She said Lax helped her smoothly transition into the new job.
“It was the first board that I had ever sat on,” she said. “So it was nice to have somebody there that was wise enough to reach out and say, ‘Hey, this is how it goes.’”
Andrade, who has been Lax’s neighbor for the past 20 years, reminisced about the times when she and children would do Fourth of July fireworks near their house, and how Lax would help out with providing garbage bags for the pick up.
Andrade said it was an honor for the city recognize the contributions of Lax, who she called a “great man of the community.”
“He’s going to be really missed,” she said.