Get to know these fabulous west suburban families. From favorite places to shop and dine, to where you will find them on a Sunday evening, each has something unique to share about the community they call home.
The Kashayp Family
NAPERVILLE – After moving from Bombay, India to Wheaton in 1999, the Kashyap’s moved to Naperville in 2001 and have called it home for the past 14 years. Nandan, Gauri, and their daughters, Rakhee (21) and Riddhi (17), love celebrating all Holidays because it’s a great excuse to have fun! During this time of year, the family celebrates Navratri, Karva-Chauth, Dushera, Diwali, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. “It’s amazing how all holidays across the world decipher the importance of family and togetherness,” Gauri shares; and adds, “Ohana means family, and that means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."
Like most west suburban families, the Kashyap’s are thickly involved in the community from the Neuqua Valley Badminton team and Naperville Volleyball clubs, to the local YMCA; as well as the Naperville Park District Cricket League, the Dolphins. They love dining at Shinto’s in Naperville and reconnecting over tea while sharing stories about their busy week or past holiday memories; such as the time they visited a Children’s Orphanage Home in Bombay, India. “We have never experienced the happiness and gratefulness we saw in the eyes of the children,” Gauri says. “Moments like this have helped us realize the importance of family and have helped us appreciate the time we spend together.” –Kristen Kucharski
What do you love most about the holiday season? Good food, good drinks, good friends, good times. The celebration of all festivals – Indian and American - and enjoying the importance of culture, tradition and values imparted through them.
What is a favorite holiday tradition? Lighting our home with candles (Diya’s). The significance of that is to show the victory of good over evil. We also like driving around and looking at the Christmas lights together, and writing really emotional cards to each other which make us tear up in gratitude that we have each other.
What is your family's favorite holiday decoration? Rakhee and Riddhi’s hand-made Diya’s (lamps) because they remind us of their childhood days.
The Vossoughi Family
HINSDALE – Kamiar treasures his personal experiences of growing up in Hinsdale, so when his wife, Sarah, and he were considering moving from their Lincoln Park home a couple of years ago, he knew exactly where to find a great house, in the perfect neighborhood, with a wonderful school, close to his own mom and dad. Shortly after moving back to Hinsdale, the couple joined the Salt Creek Club and thoroughly enjoyed the swimming and tennis this past summer. With their 6-year old son, Zander, now at The Lane School, Sarah has taken an active role in the PTO, chairing the school’s Rotary Run, while also serving as a member of the Hinsdale Junior Women’s Club and volunteering for the Hinsdale Historical Society Kitchen Walk. When not working or volunteering, the family enjoys the Fuller House Bar in Hinsdale where they are always certain to see a familiar face while watching their beloved Cubs in a fun and lively atmosphere. Now that the holidays are near, the Vossoughi’s look forward to having family in town. Last year Kamiar’s father gave him a watch from his personal collection, which symbolized so much more than a gift; but rather represented the celebration of old traditions. Kamiar plans to pass this on to his own son someday; when he is old enough to fully appreciate what they holidays are truly about. –Kristen Kucharski
What do you love most about the holiday season? The holiday spirit! Everyone seems a little more light-hearted & happy. The store fronts and houses are all lit up and carols are playing. It’s all-around a wonderful time of year!
What is a favorite holiday tradition? Making gingerbread cookies. We do it every year and share them with family and friends.
What is your family's favorite holiday decoration? Our fresh cut Christmas tree. We love putting on the Christmas carols and decorating it all together and then every day/night lighting it up and enjoying it all season long!
The Denz Family
ST. CHARLES – When asked about living and working in the Tri-Cities area, Cheryl Denz doesn’t skip a beat. “Doug and I were both born at Delnor Hospital and graduated from St. Charles High School. We consider ourselves ‘townies’ and couldn’t imagine raising our kids anywhere else.”
Excited to be part of the area’s growth and development and having a deep connection to community, the Denzes have offices for their business, Riverview Counseling Services, Ltd. in both Batavia and St. Charles.
While Cheryl has been a child and family therapist for over 20 years, Doug quit his job in the pool and spa industry for what Cheryl calls “the most important job” - raising their children. Molly is ten and Josh is eight and both attend Wildrose Elementary. In addition being a stay-home dad, Doug serves as President of the neighborhood association, as well as is a committee member for the St. Charles Downtown Partnership.
Although busy, Cheryl says their family is passionate about volunteering (every other week they do volunteer work for area homeless shelter, Lazarus House), but also about taking time off from the hustle and bustle of daily life. “We love spending our weekends boating, building campfires and having get-togethers with our neighbors.”
The Denzes motto is “Dream Big, Hold Tight and Dig Deep”, saying they teach their children (and remind themselves) that things worth doing do not always come easy. “Perseverance is important!” -Tiffany Schultz Favorite Local Establishment: Some of our favorite eateries are destinations for our family bike rides. We love stopping for breakfast at Abby’s or grabbing a sandwich from The Bend General Store.
Most Memorable Family Vacation: New Buffalo, Michigan. Family fun with days spent at the beach and nights filled with Rumi-cube and root beer floats.
On Sunday Night You’ll Find Us: Curled up on the couch with popcorn, a movie and a warm fire.
The Krieghbaum Family
KANELAND – Meet Delmar Krieghbaum. After spending his first 20 years on a farm between Kaneville and Big Rock, he moved to Sugar Grove and has been here ever since, which is 71 years, to be exact. “I moved because there was a job driving truck from Sugar Grove to the Chicago stockyards.”
Delmar says he and wife, Ruth, met “under a street lamp at the corner of Maple and Main” and were married for 61 years before her passing in 2006. He is the proud father of Ken, Connie, Karen, Caroline and Karla and boasts 13 grandchildren and 21 great grand children.
“All of my kids still live in the area,” says Delmar noting that, that is a testament to how great of a community we have in the Kaneland area. When asked about fond memories, Delmar has many, but most notably simple things like helping build baseball diamonds (one behind John Shields Elementary school), umpiring little league and volunteering for the Fire Department for over 50 years.
Admittedly, at 91, Delmar has slowed down a bit, but he still drives to lunch with friends a few days per week, watches the Cubs, and is also the Secretary-Treasurer for the Kane County Firefighters Death Benefit fund, which pays benefits to spouses of firefighters who have died.
The key to his longevity, “I do whatever my doctor tells me, I’ve got good friends and family and I’m really interested in people and what they have to say. It’s pretty simple.” -Tiffany Schultz
Favorite Local Establishment: Maple Park Pub and Grill. I meet the guys and have a sandwich about once a week.
Favorite Sugar Grove Memory: June 3, 1945: marrying my wife at the Methodist church in town.
Favorite thing about my Neighborhood: I have a real good neighbor who picks up my newspaper every morning. Little things like that help me a lot.
The Colangelo Family WHEATON – 16 years ago Jason and Tracy moved from Lyons when their son Zach was just 2 in search of a great town to raise a family with the added bonus of an excellent school district. They have thoroughly immersed themselves in Wheaton over the years through Jason’s volunteer efforts as coach for the Wheaton Rams football teams and the Wheaton Park District baseball team; as well as, Tracy’s commitment serving on three volunteer boards for daycare associations over the last 12 years. Their sons, Zach, a Wheaton North Baseball player; and Joey, a Wheaton North Football player, have also graciously shared their talents by volunteering with the Buddy Baseball program through the Wheaton Jr. Woman’s club.
With the upcoming holidays, the Colangelo’s are looking forward to making more family memories together by eating at their favorite local authentic Mexican restaurant, Mi Casa, or perhaps purchasing impromptu tickets to a fun local event, such as seeing the Globetrotters, as they have in years past. They value time together over gift giving and their best memories thus far have included a 7-night cruise to Honduras, Belize and Cozumel where they zip lined through the rain forest, went tubing in caves, kayaked in a lagoon, snorkeled, and swam with the dolphins. Colangelo family time is always the best time! –Kristen Kucharski
What do you love most about the holiday season? We love seeing family and friends
What is a favorite holiday tradition? Our family always gets together and celebrates on Christmas Eve with the extended family. Now, that our boys our older, we go to the movies on Christmas Day.
What is your family's favorite holiday decoration? The Christmas tree, of course! I love adding the ornaments to the tree and the memories they bring to mind. The lights on the tree make the room warm and festive.
