They were from different backgrounds, but two men, Mansour Phillip Tadros and Dr. Peter Sakas, are being remembered for their big hearts and massive impacts on their respective communities after they passed away following battles against the novel coronavirus.
Tadros, a Jordanian newspaper publisher, was seen as a leader in the Arab-American community. The publisher of “The Future News,” Tadros would receive hundreds of phone calls a day from neighbors, simply seeking to talk to him about the issues of the day.
“About three months ago we had to cancel our home phone because we were getting so many calls,” his son Fadi Tadros remembers. “He was selfless. He was the best listener, and he wouldn’t give any advice until he had fully listened to you.”
The 70-year-old Tinley Park resident died Saturday after being diagnosed with COVID-19. A diabetic for decades, Tadros was otherwise very healthy until a cough suddenly worsened, and he developed a fever and bad chills.
“He went to the bathroom, put on his cologne and may have tried to shave,” Fadi Tadros recalls. “The ambulance came to pick him up after that.”
Dr. Sakas, a veterinarian at Niles Animal Hospital, was just 67 years old when he passed away.
“He was in the hospital, and his only concern was the dogs,” John Garrido of the Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation said. “He was put on this Earth to help animals. It was in his DNA.”
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Sakas was also fond of birds, with friends saying he was one of the top avian veterinarians in the country.
“Other vets might say an animal had to be euthanized, but he would say no. He wouldn’t stop,” Garrido said. “He was a miracle worker. He was like Dr. Doolittle. He just had a way.”
Today, a memorial grew outside of the Niles Animal Hospital, memorializing the doctor who loved animals, and rock and roll.
“My dad wholeheartedly believed that animals have souls, and that all life is precious,” Courtney Sakas, Dr. Sakas’ daughter, said. “He rolled through that mission to the end.”
