Earl Meeske, namesake of iconic Mount Prospect grocery store, dies
Earl Meeske
Updated 1/6/2021 10:31 AM
The last namesake of an iconic business that anchored downtown Mount Prospect for nearly 60 years has died.
Earl Meeske, who ran the village's first grocery store, Meeske's Market, with his brother Fred, passed away Dec. 5. He was 88.
Though the brothers sold the market in 1973, it retained the family name until it closed in 1984. The distinctive Busse Building where the market originated stood at the corner of Busse Street and Northwest Highway. It was a village landmark until a fire tore through it in 2014.
For many years, Meeske's Market was the only grocery store in Mount Prospect, and was famous for its extensive butcher shop and the family's celebration of the community's German roots.