A staple of suburban life in the second half of the 20th century, clubs formed by and for women are holding on in the area, though members admit much depends on their efforts to recruit younger members.

Some women’s clubs were created to facilitate service projects, while others focused more on fun.

Diana Roscich isn’t content to belong to just one woman’s club. Instead, she belongs to three: the Southwest Women’s Club, the Palos Heights Woman’s Club and the Palos Park Woman’s Club.

The best thing about the organizations boils down one factor: the friends she’s made and kept.

“You get to know the ladies,” she said. “Any time you are an officer, any time you start to jump in, you remember names and faces.”

Roscich, who is president of the Southwest Women’s Club, joined the other clubs at roughly the same time. She said she joined the Palos Heights club because she lives in Palos Heights and she had been a member 25 years before.

“I had some friends who were in it and encouraged me to join (again),” she recalled. “I joined Palos Park because I live on the border of Palos Heights and Palos Park, and a lot of women who belong to one belong to the other.”

Roscich, who was married to former Palos Heights Mayor Eugene Simpson until his death in 1993, is no stranger to community organizations. She also belongs to the American Association of University Women and the Crisis Center for South Suburbia auxiliary, and she’s been on the board for Lake Katherine since its inception in 2005.

“I’m one of the original members left when they formed the board to run Lake Katherine,” she said.

When she joined the Southwest Women’s Club, which was incorporated in 1970, it was still known as the Palos Newcomers Club.

“We changed the name to the Southwest Women’s Club in 2019. It felt like it had been the Palos Newcomers Club for 50 years and it makes it sound like you have to live in Palos or be new to Palos,” Roscich said. “That’s not the case. We have members who come from all over the area, so we wanted a name that would be more inclusive.”

She already knew then-President Dorothy Kopacz when she joined in 2015, and not long afterward she stepped up to become the secretary and was in that role for six years before becoming president last year.

The Southwest Women’s Club, which has just under 50 members, is strictly a social organization that gets together six times a year: in September, October, December, March, April and May on the fourth Thursday of the month. In December members gather to attend a Christmas program.

“We don’t do anything philanthropic at all. We meet at country clubs or banquet places and have a nice luncheon and have entertainment,” Roscich said.

Membership costs $35 per year, and each lunch costs $35 at the door. The group has planned some buffet lunches instead of plated lunches to keep gatherings affordable.

“It’s always a nice place that we go and have a nice lunch and always good entertainment,” she said. “A lot of the ladies, they might not get out much, so it’s a nice afternoon.”

She has been working to get younger members.

“A lot of the ladies in the organization have been in it for a long time, and it’s getting to be an older population. If you don’t get a younger population interested in it, it won’t survive,” she said.

“I think I brought in 11 new members last year. And some are younger. None of us are really young. They’re all pretty much retirement age or past, but at least maybe in their 80s than in their 90s! I’m not young myself. I just turned 75 last week.”

Even the oldest members are younger than the Palos Park Women’s Club, which Roscich said just marked its 120th anniversary.

Last year’s membership was 137, and its purpose is “to promote cultural, educational, wellness and civic interest as a charitable organization,” according to the website.

At almost 85 years old, the Palos Heights Woman’s Club isn’t quite as venerable, but Roscich enjoys the creativity showcased at its events, especially with the table decorations.

“It’s fun to see the ingenuity and creativity of the tables. And they’re all so very, very different,” she said.

Its roster lists 132 members, but the club always recruits more. It meets September through December, and then in February, March and April. Dues cost $55 for returning members and $55 for new ones.

Rose Zubik, who joined the club in 1999 and is starting her fourth year as membership chairman, said even during the COVID-19 pandemic the club recruited about 50 new members.

“Honestly, some don’t stay — they may think it’s something else — but we’ve also lost members. Some have moved, have some older members who went to retirement homes or Florida or Arizona. And unfortunately, we did have a lot of members pass away,” she said.

“The trend is getting younger members in now — I’m referring to gals in their 30s to 40s. And we do have a couple of young ones, such as our library liaison. They’re becoming very active. They just joined last year. And so are many of the members who were recruited last year in their 35-ish age range.

“They are workhorses. They are ‘being our future’ is how we’re referring to them,” she added. “Because we are 85 years old and obviously you do need young blood to come in to keep everything going moving forward.”

But that doesn’t mean they don’t celebrate their longtime members, such as Jeanne Marbach, who marks her 60th year of membership this year.

“She’s the oldest surviving past president and was the past president in 1965 to 67,” Zubik said. “And she’s still an active member.”

Marj Hultquist, who joined the organization in 1957, is a 67-year member. She was president in 1971-73. Marbach, who joined the group in 1955, took off about eight years to work and raise a family until she came back, so she technically hasn’t been in the club the longest. Carol Stefan, a reporter with Channel 4 in Palos Heights, will be a 50-year member this year.

The Palos Heights club is very much focused on charitable efforts and works throughout the year to raise money for college scholarships, camp scholarships and other causes.

“In 2022 we have about $14,000 in donations to vetted charitable organizations and scholarships,” Zubik said, adding that the club was on track to give at least that much again in 2023.

The organization hopes to make a difference in the community.

“We established a scholarship at Moraine Valley Community College, and it is a specific scholarship for a woman who had to leave her education for either raising a family or for whatever reason could not finish her schooling,” Zubik explained. “It’s for those who come back to schooling to further their education. That is one specific criteria. The college selects the recipients.”

Two $1,000 donations also went to Lake Katherine — to help build a boardwalk honoring Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz, and toward a planned boathouse. Other money went for three $1,000 scholarships to high school students.

The group has held a baby shower to get donated items for Southside Pregnancy Center, hosted garden walks, held a Christmas lunch boutique, hosted blood drives and partnered with a nursery for a flower sale.

“We have also done something called Thankful Thursday for many, many years. We go to Franklins (Public House). The owner partners with that and gives a free drink for anyone bringing a $10-plus bag of groceries. He also donates an amount. All the proceeds go to the Greater Chicagoland Food Pantry,” Zubik said.

New this year is the Pedal Pushers, a group of the club’s bicycle enthusiasts, which has its first ride June 24. “We’re really excited about it. We had the first meeting for all members a couple of weeks ago,” Zubik enthused. “There will be four planned rides for the group, but what the organization did was put together a call sheet so you know who else is a bike rider so you can call a buddy and go on an impromptu ride whenever. It’s part of the health and wellness department.”

Socializing remains a big part of the club. “Although we are a service organization, we also like to throw some fun into it. It’s a really nice group of ladies,” Zubik said. “I’ve been in it since 1999 and I’m still a newbie. There are some women who have been in this club for a very long, long time.”

Making friends is the best part of the club, she shared.

“You not only work with them as volunteers but you become friends. Some of these women have been friends since they joined the club. They have 30-, 40-, 50-year friendships,” Zubik said. “When you’re volunteering, while there is a social aspect, there’s not a lot of personalities involved. People are here for the same purpose — they are here for the community.”

Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.