Joseph L. Monti, 81, of Oak Park and formerly of Cicero and Berwyn, died on June 8, 2019.

Mr. Monti was the husband of nearly 57 years of Mary M. Monti (nee Stanford) and the father of Joseph (Brenda), David (Brenda), and the late Amy Monti.  He was also the proud grandfather of Isabel, Peter, Aaron, and Alyssa.

Born on October 12, 1937, he was the son of Joseph (deceased) and Katherine (deceased, nee Marfia).  Legally blind for most of his life, Mr. Monti was a high school science and math teacher for 34 years at DeLaSalle Institute in Chicago, at which he was also a successful chess coach.  He earned a B.S. in Physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a M.A. in Education from DePaul University.

Mr. Monti was a composer, pianist, and singer who loved antiquing and traveling the world with his wife.  He was an animal and nature lover, enjoyed going to movies, operas, and orchestral performances, and was an avid fan of all of Chicago’s sport teams.  He was active in the two churches of his adult life (St. Christopher’s of Oak Park and St. Michael’s of Berwyn), serving both parishes as warden on the vestry and as a stewardship leader.  He also was an officer of the Illinois chapter of the National Federation of the Blind.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (luriechildrens.org), the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind (chicagolighthouse.org/donate), or the National Federation of the Blind (nfb.org).

Visitation is on Wednesday, June 19th from 3 to 9 p.m. at Adolf Funeral Home, 2921 S. Harlem Avenue in Berwyn. The funeral will be Thursday, June 20th at 10 a.m. at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 545 S. East Avenue in Oak Park, followed by interment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, 4101 S. Oak Park Avenue, Stickney.