Roy "The Barber" Kukla

Roy was born on May 26th, 1944, in South Milwaukee, WI, the son of Patrick and Ruth (Sandel) Kukla. Love brought Roy and Janice (Klug) together in marriage on June 18th, 1966. Their love affair lasted 66 years. Roy and Janice were best friends. Sacrifice and hard work marked the early years as they built a life together. Through early struggles, they grew stronger sharing a bond built on respect, trust, and devotion. Celebrating the successes first of their children and later their grandchildren, Roy and Janice, were proud supporters. Roy fiercely loved his family and was more than eager to tell everyone all about them and their accomplishments.

As a boy, Roy enjoyed a childhood full of mischief and adventure. Learning at the side of his dad and grandfather, the seeds of a lifetime of working with his hands and service to others were planted. Happiest while in shop class or working at the gas station, Roy began building what would become an extensive legacy of completed projects, repairs, and scraped knuckles. His first love was his 1955 Chevy which he tweaked and tuned, turning it into the “fastest car in Cudahy”. With knowledge of how things worked, came independence. At every stage in his life, he was fixing things – whether at home, under the hood, at his business, or in retirement for neighbors and family. He enjoyed the challenge of learning something new while repairing anything that was broken.

Shortly out of high school, Roy found his lifetime occupation, again working with his hands, as a barber. He worked in several different shops in the Chicago suburbs, before going into business for himself with the aptly named “Roy’s Barber Shop”. Like any good barber, Roy was never without a joke or story to share. He reveled in the joys and suffered along with the challenges his clients faced in their daily lives. Over his time in business, there were countless examples of his service to others – a free haircut for someone down on their luck, house-call haircuts for a customer battling an ailment, an emergency car repair in the parking lot outside the shop, or even a shoulder to cry on when someone received a difficult diagnosis. His sincerity and empathy fostered lasting friendships with so many of his customers that even extended beyond his last “official” haircut, when he turned the lights off on his shop after 35 years in July of 2006.

Roy is survived by his wife, Janice nee Klug, his children, Matt (Mira) Kukla, of Troy, MI, Dr. Michelle Kukla of Arlington Heights, grandchildren Dr. Tyler Kukla of Fairfax, VA, Hannah Kukla (fiancé Brad) of Fishersville, VA, Brother-in-Law Patrick (Scott) Klug, and nieces and a nephew. Roy was proceeded in death by his parents and brother Patrick (Faye) Kukla.

While Roy was loved by many and will be deeply missed, take solace in knowing that he is probably fixing a squeaky hinge on one of the Pearly Gates right now. His memory will live on through the lives he, and his hands, touched. As Roy would often jokingly advise, remember to “Go Deep!” – in football and for those you love.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to Tunnel to Towers be made in Roy’s memory.

https://t2t.org/donate/

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, from 3:00 - 8:00 PM at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Rd. Arlington Heights, IL 60004. We will be meeting at St James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, for the funeral mass which will start at 10:00 AM. Interment will immediately follow at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery in Palatine.