Margaret “Peggy” Kraft, longtime co-owner of the now-gone Riviera Roadhouse along Route 66 in Gardner, Ill., died Wednesday at age 89.
According to her obituary, Kraft died in Miller Healthcare Center in Kankakee, Ill.
Born in Valparaiso, Ind., she married Bob Kraft in 1971. Together, they owned the Riviera for 37 years until they retired in 2008. They were long appreciated for their colorful stories and hospitality. The Riviera was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1994.
Long before the Krafts arrived, the restaurant and tavern was long known as a hangout for gangster Al Capone during the late 1920s. Actors Gene Kelly and Tom Mix were known to stop there as well.
A fire destroyed the Riviera in 2010.
Surviving are her husband, of Manteno, Ill.; one son and daughter-in-law, Chuck and Laurie Campbell of Manteno; five grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; three nieces; and one nephew. Cremation rites have been accorded. Private family services will be at Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago.
Memorials may be made to the National Historic Route 66 Federation.