Walk into Bookie’s in Beverly and there was a good chance Rich Wojcikowski would be somewhere nearby.
Maybe he was helping a customer find a book. Maybe he was talking with an author. Maybe he was working behind the scenes to make sure another school book fair came together.
Whatever he was doing, Wojcikowski had a way of making the bookstore feel less like a business and more like a gathering place.
That familiar presence was suddenly gone Friday.
Wojcikowski, 57, of Park Forest, died in a fatal automobile crash on Governors Highway in University Park, leaving his family, co-workers and the Bookie’s community trying to come to terms with a loss that came without warning.
Bookie’s shared the news Saturday afternoon on Facebook, describing Wojcikowski as the backbone of the store and saying the staff was still in shock.
“Rich did the work of 10 people and it is difficult to figure out our after,” the store said.
That sentence perhaps says more about Wojcikowski’s role at Bookie’s than any job title could.
He was the longtime manager of the independent bookstore at 10324 S. Western Ave., but his work reached far beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of running a store.
Wojcikowski helped make Bookie’s a place where people could discover books, local authors could find support and schools could raise money while getting children excited about reading.
His generosity was especially evident through Bookie’s school book fair program.
In 2025, the store donated more than $2,400 to local schools through the program in just 10 days. Half of the proceeds from each fair went directly back to the participating school, with the money available for classroom supplies, library materials and other student needs.
Wojcikowski helped organize the fairs and bring the bookstore experience directly to students.
“We’re thrilled to be making such a tangible impact through reading,” he said at the time. “This program is about building community.”
The fairs gave students a chance to browse a selection of books chosen with their interests in mind, including new series, student suggestions and staff favorites.
Wojcikowski also understood that something as simple as finding the right book could matter to a child.
If a student wanted a book that was not available at the school fair, Bookie’s could order it from the store and personally deliver it to the student at school that same week.
Those efforts reflected the kind of community-minded work that became part of Wojcikowski’s everyday life at Bookie’s.
The store has been a South Side staple for nearly 30 years, but places like Bookie’s are built on more than shelves filled with books. They are built on the people who welcome customers through the door, remember familiar faces and make a neighborhood feel connected.
Wojcikowski was one of those people.
His sudden death forced Bookie’s to close over Labor Day weekend as employees gathered to grieve with his wife and children.
“The Bookie’s family is together in grief with Rich’s wife and children,” the store said in its Facebook post. “We are all in a state of shock.”
The store has asked customers to be patient as employees navigate the loss and has invited members of the community to stop by and sign a memory book that will be given to Wojcikowski’s family.
Memorials are being planned for a later date, and Bookie’s said a longer tribute to Wojcikowski will follow.
The memory book will give customers, friends and members of the community a place to leave behind a few words about a man whose work touched so many people.
Some may remember a conversation at the counter. Others may remember him helping track down a book, working at a school book fair or simply being one of the familiar faces they expected to see when they walked through the door.
Those moments may seem ordinary, but they are often the moments people carry with them.
Rich Wojcikowski spent his days helping people find stories. He helped children discover books, helped schools raise money and helped make Bookie’s a place where people felt welcome.
Now, the community has its own story to tell about Rich.
It is a story of generosity, hard work and an unmistakable presence that cannot simply be replaced. His chair may be empty, and the store may have to find a way to carry on without him, but the impact he made will remain in the people he helped and the community he cared so deeply about.
Some people leave behind possessions. Others leave behind memories.
Rich left behind a community that will remember him.