Former Cary mayor Bob Fuchs dies
Robert J. "Bob" Fuchs' life was one of service to others.
The 85-year-old Army veteran and former Cary mayor and village trustee died Jan. 2 in Lisle.
His vision and leadership helped guide the McHenry County village toward becoming a robust suburban community, while preserving its small-town charm, family members say.
"He was a leader - smart, educated," said Fuchs' daughter Mary Ann McLean of Elmhurst.
Fuchs was a graduate of DePaul University College of Commerce and DePaul Law School. He moved with his family from Chicago to Cary in 1961. He served as a village trustee from 1965 to 1969, when he was elected mayor - a post he held until 1976.
"Being mayor was just one further act of service on his part," McLean said. "He was a role model of hard work and integrity."
As a part-time mayor for a town of 4,500 residents, Fuchs' job didn't end at village hall.
"People would call our home all the time," McLean said. "Once we were just having a huge rainstorm in early 1970s. He got a bunch of buckets, got in the car and started helping people bail out their basements. A year or two after that, the village upgraded the storm water system."
As mayor, his greatest accomplishments were positioning Cary for future growth, including getting voter approval for the development of a community center for administrative offices, recreational facilities and a library.
Fuchs served two years on the Cary Parks Advisory Board before becoming mayor, and was involved in library and school district issues. He helped with the creation of a park district, controlling local taxes, and upgrading village personnel from part-time to full-time professional employees.
Fuchs was a charter member, officer and director of the Cary Jaycees, which awarded him the Distinguished Service Award. He was active in the Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church.
He resigned as mayor to accept a promotion and job transfer to Rochester, New York, with a tax consulting firm, now Deloitte. He retired as a partner in 1991.
He was preceeded in death by his parents, his brother, and his wife, Miriam. Survivors include his six children, Mary Ann McLean of Elmhurst; Theresa Holthaus of Rocky River, Ohio; James Fuchs of Chicago; Elizabeth Fuchs of Glendale Heights; Susan Jeavons of Hamilton Square, New Jersey; Diane Ciak of Milltown, New Jersey; and 11 grandchildren.
Visitation for Fuchs will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at Gibbons Funeral Home, 134 South York Road, Elmhurst. Funeral Mass is at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Immaculate Conception Church, 134 Arthur St., Elmhurst. There will be a private burial in Windridge Cemetery in Cary.