About Paka Monk

This shop is named after my incredible Dad. His name was Monk, but he was Paka Monk (Paka pronounced like Pock-ah) to my 4 kids (his grandchildren). When the eldest grand child was little, she pronounced Papa as Paka and it stuck long after she could pronounce it correctly. There's no way to describe him that would do him any justice. He meant so much to so many. Monk was all about getting good friends and family together, throwin' sh!t on the grill, and having a great time. He loved to travel, try new things, and explore different adventures. He was a fireman for 30 years and an excellent cook. He enjoyed creating and capturing memories. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. He fought long and hard, without a single complaint. Sadly, he passed away in May 2014. To say we miss him dearly would be an understatement. He was always a big fan of Johnny's Beef (a popular and classic food stand in the Chicago area), especially their Italian ice. When he was really sick, without much of an appetite, that was pretty much the only thing he would eat. The Italian ice would come with those straw spoons, like the kind you'd get with a slurpee, but he always requested a "real" spoon. I had a stamping set on hand, so I decided to stamp, "Paka Monk" into a spoon for him to eat his Italian ice. He got a kick out of it. So that gave me the idea to start stamping flatware for gifts and to start up this shop. We feel this shop is a great way to honor Monk's memory.Read their story