Notable deaths in 2010 in the Northwest suburbs

Every year about this time, we look back at the year that was to sort out our most significant suburban achievements, the low points and the people who made it all happen.

We'd be remiss if we didn't look fondly upon some of the people who helped shape the Northwest suburbs, who shaped us, and are no longer with us.

Here is a remembrance of some of those who died in 2010 and who will be missed.

Marine Cpl. James B. Stack, 20, killed in AfghanistanArlington Heights native; died Nov. 10Veterans, schoolchildren, friends and regular suburbanites turned out by the hundreds last month to pay tribute to Stack, a young Marine who paid the ultimate price.

The young father and husband, home-schooled with the help of Christian Liberty Academy, was a crack rifleman with India Company, 1st division, serving in the dangerous Helmand Province where he was shot and killed.

Back in the suburbs, Stack was given full military honors. He leaves behind his wife, Katie, daughter, Mikayla, sister, Megan, and his parents, Bob and Linda Stack.

Carl Hansen, 83, legendary Cook County Board memberMount Prospect Republican famous for acting independently; died Feb. 215th District commissioner from 1974-2006 and leader of the Elk Grove Township GOP for 40 years, Hansen was famous for knowing what he was talking about, and not being afraid to buck party trend #8212; respectfully. Instrumental in bringing a Cook County branch courthouse to Rolling Meadows, he called for juvenile court system reform and pushed for county hospitals to go after collection from those able to pay. Was the second-longest serving Cook County Board member, behind only the late John Stroger, and Hansen's heartfelt tribute to Stroger on his retirement from the county board in July 2006 moved the board and gallery to tears.

Edward Gilbert, 89, longtime District 214 superintendentOversaw 214's largest growth period; died April 26Gilbert led the Arlington Heights-based district from 1966 to 1983, during the years when they opened four new high schools #8212; including Elk Grove, Hersey, Rolling Meadows and Buffalo Grove #8212; bringing to eight the number of buildings and nearly 20,000 students.

Linda Picchi, 63, advocate for Down syndrome familiesStreamwood woman's influence was national in scope; died Dec. 7A beautician by profession and an inspiration by choice, Picchi was motivated by the birth of her own Down syndrome daughter, Angela, to advocate for families like hers. As a public speaker and then program director for the National Association for Down Syndrome, she met with obstetricians, pediatricians, nurses and social workers to educate them in dealing with new parents, and met with families to encourage them that their Down syndrome children have a great deal of potential that should not be silenced.

The Rev. Donald Duffy, 91, longtime Buffalo Grove pastorLed St. Mary's for 20 years; died Feb. 18Legendary St. Mary's pastor from 1969 to 1988, Duffy undertook building the new, 1,000-seat worship space, beginning in 1978. He convinced the state to bend Lake-Cook Road south of the parish when the road was rebuilt. Gymnasium renamed the Duffy Center in his honor

Gerald F. Fitzgerald, 85, innovator in banking industryFather of former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald; died Oct. 30An influential innovator in the Illinois banking industry, the Barrington Hills resident introduced a multi-bank holding company, Suburban Bankcorp Inc.; the first primitive ATM in the mid-1960s; and the first interest-earning checking accounts. Was a NATO consultant in 1976 and a member of the Illinois Racing Board from 1968 to 1971. The most conservative of lenders, he believed a bank should lend no more than 50 percent of its assets and that homeowners ought to pay off their mortgages within 10 to 15 years.

Theresa Tracy, 44, District 211 school board memberSchaumburg native died Sept. 3A former reporter who covered District 211 and education for the Chicago Tribune, Tracy was appointed to the school board in March 2009 following the death of member Susan Kenley-Rupnow, impressing the board with her genuine interest in education.