Louis Castellaneta, 99, of Westmont, formerly of Oak Park, died at home on Aug. 22, 2014. He grew up in Chicago’s Taylor Street neighborhood, graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood, and served in the Navy during World War II as a corpsman on Okinawa, according to the obituary in the Chicago Sun-Times, where he learned Japanese so he could provide the local population with better medical assistance. After the war, he worked as a lithographer for R.R. Donnelley. He was also an animal lover and a painter (and member of the Oak Park Art League).
He met his wife at a dude ranch in Michigan. They bought a home on Lyman Avenue in Oak Park where they lived for decades.
The Castellaneta household was a lively one, thanks partly to the presence of their son, Dan, who grew up to become the voice of Homer Simpson and Krusty the Clown on TV’s The Simpsons. Dan would crack everyone up with his bits at the dinner table, but his father was no straight man. He would also entertain with stories inspired by his favorite comics, including Red Skelton.
He underwent triple bypass surgery around the age of 90, according to the Sun-Times, and worked so hard on rehab that he ended up teaching senior exercise classes. He and his wife were often seen around Oak Park wearing matching “Simpsons” jackets.
Lou Castellaneta was the husband of the late Elsie (Lagorio). He is survived by his son, Dan; his daughters, Gina Castellaneta and Paula Pohlhammer; two grandsons and a great-granddaughter.
A private service is planned by the family.