Crossing guard Maureen Brdlik has been
crossing families for 31 years and counting

By Marty Blader

For kids, the morning rush is the period from when your alarm goes off to the first chimes of the school bell. On a good day, you have enough time to drink the remnants of cereal and milk from your breakfast, and your bed will be made when you get back home. On a bad day, the handpicked, zipped-up lunch baggy is still sitting upright in your fridge.

Despite the ups and downs, the route to and from school is consistent and often accompanied by the friendly face of a crossing guard. Many families walking to and from Pierce Downer Elementary School have been greeted with the familiar smile and wave from crossing guard Maureen Brdlik. For the past 31 years, Brdlik has brightened the intersection of Oakwood and Prairie.

“It just brightens my day, every day, and [the kids] can make me laugh, and they can make me happy,” Brdlik said. “I mean, you get little notes from the kids and it’s just all worth being there.”

Brdlik has lived in Downers Grove all her life, and she is one of many generations in her family to have attended Downers Grove schools. Brdlik mentioned that her crossing guard career started a long time ago when she was on Safety Patrol.

Unlike many jobs, Brdlik works from 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. on full school days. Brdlik also works in any type of weather. If school is open, Brdlik is there.

“They’re just hard jobs to take for a lot of people because it does break up your day,” Brdlik said. “If you’re trying to do anything you got to do it in between so many hours and then you’re going back again.”

Despite the job’s difficulties, Brdlik recognizes that working as a crossing guard shifted her perspective to think of others before herself. Her care for the community extends beyond the intersection.

Barbra Glazier was a former banker for Brdlik, and she used to cross at her intersection. They ran into each other in the Jewel Osco parking lot shortly after the passing of Glazier’s husband. Glazier acknowledges how she was affected by Brdlik’s empathy and friendliness.

“[Brdlik] lost her husband years ago, so she knows what I am going through, and she was just explaining to me how, you know, you just have a new life. You got to continue, and you got to be able to socialize still and still do your thing even though it’s not with your partner anymore,” Glazier said.

After talking in the Jewel Osco parking lot for half an hour, they decided to get lunch. Now, the two try to get lunch once a month. Brdlik also gets lunch with some of the other moms that she has met at the crosswalk.

In addition to the families crossing to go to school, Brdlik smiles and waves to each car that drives past the intersection. For the kids going to school, she brings candy for them to take a few times throughout the school year. Her positivity impacts every person who crosses or drives past the intersection of Oakwood and Prairie.

Sarah Asay has been crossing this intersection with her children for three years, and she reflected on Brdlik’s impact on the community.

“She’s just a part of the family, almost a part of the neighborhood,” Asay said.

Brdlik says her main focuses now are her grandchildren and spending time with family. She plans to continue crossing families at the intersection of Oakwood and Prairie as long as her health allows.

“The kids love me, and I love them,” Brdlik said. “What else is there really? With everything in the world going on, it is a big, very important thing to have somebody close and people who care and are friendly. Just keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well.”

Brdlik has built many relationships with the families that she has walked over the years by being a friendly, familiar face in the neighborhood.