MORGAN PARK — James K. Rago rarely greeted folks at Kennedy Park with a smile, though the gruff custodian endeared himself to the community nonetheless.
On Saturday, just over a year after retiring, Rago died at age 78. He spent 54 years mopping wet floors, taking out garbage and cleaning bathrooms at the field house at 11320 S. Western Ave. in Morgan Park.
When he retired on July 7, 2014, Rago was the longest active employee of the Chicago Park District. Rago was eligible for full retirement when he turned 50 but stuck around another 27 years.
"It's been like family here," said Rago, a Roseland resident before walking out of Kennedy Park the final time.
Rago landed a job with the Park District in 1960, shortly after returning from a 16-month stint in Korea with the Army. He worked for a couple of months at Fernwood Park before being transferred to Kennedy Park.
He was reassigned briefly to nearby Mount Greenwood Park, but quickly returned to Kennedy Park, where he knew the names and faces of nearly everyone who frequented the 18-acre park, swimming pool and playground.
Rago was often surly, though park regulars quickly saw through his rough facade. Those that weren't scared off by Rago's demeanor were occasionally rewarded to with an ear-to-ear smile or a gravely laugh.
As an outward show of gratitude, the room used for the preschool program at Kennedy Park was renamed for the beloved janitor in the late 1990s.
Jennifer Cronin met Rago when she was 4 years old while attending preschool at Kennedy Park. The lifelong Morgan Park resident worked her way up the ranks, eventually becoming park supervisor — Rago's boss.
Cronin said she visited the janitor known to most park regulars simply as Rago last Tuesday. He was ill with cancer and staying with family near Rainey Park in Ashburn.
"I can tell you the last thing he said to me that made me feel really happy, 'Get the hell out of here,'" Cronin said.
Visitation for Rago will be held from 3-9 p.m. on Wednesday at Donnellan Funeral Home, 10525 S. Western Ave. in Beverly. He will be buried on Thursday at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.
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