Dundee Twp. mourns death of local businessman Fred Doederlein

Fred Doederlein made his career selling lumber in downtown East Dundee, but his passion belonged to Dundee Township and promoting its history and tourism.

Doederlein passed away Friday at his East Dundee home. He was 84.

He was the husband of former three-term State Rep. DeLoris Doederlein, whose base was McHenry County and much of Elgin. She served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1986 to 1992.

Doederlein himself served 12 years as a Dundee Township trustee and also on the McHenry County Board.

During his years on the township board, the former Chicago Northwestern rail line was converted into the Fox River Trail, a popular bike path that stretches more than 60 miles, making it the longest contiguous paved path in the state.

“He loved developing the bike path, but he was really passionate about the building of The Depot,” DeLoris Doederlein said.

As the number of riders increased on the bike path, they began to search for rest stops along the way, and Fred Doederlein Lumber became one of them.

In 1985, Doederlein, his wife and a handful of volunteers and business leaders met in the lumberyard office to begin discussing the building of a rest stop in East Dundee that would serve other purposes for community residents.

It took more than six years, but the building of a historic looking train depot, based in part on the depot in Carpentersville and designed by architect Rick Gilmore, opened in 1991.

At one time, The Depot housed the East Dundee Chamber of Commerce, but now serves as the Dundee Township Visitors Center and home to the farmers market on Saturdays, as well as a rest stop.

“The Depot has become a focal point for the village,” former village President Roger Ahrens said. “It's become a magnet, a drawing point to the village. It's become much more than a historical site.”

Colleagues say that is what Doederlein envisioned when he lobbied other business leaders to help support its construction.

“His biggest disappointment is that he would have liked to see it open every day,” DeLoris Doederlein said. “It was nice when the chamber of commerce was there. We just need someone to keep it open.”

In the meantime, she added, the bike trail is widely used, mostly by riders new to the village.

“It's a highlight of Dundee,” she said.

Besides his wife, Doederlein is survived by his children, Mark (Karen) Cole, Stephen (Bobbi Jo) Rittmann, Robert (Susie) Rittmann, Martha (Scott) Lehman and Carol Hardt; as well as nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Visitation is 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and again at 10 a.m. Saturday before an 11 a.m. funeral service, both at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 401 W. Main St., West Dundee.