Ex-Lake Barrington trustee dies

Former Lake Barrington Trustee Thomas W. Wilbor's public service was not limited to his six years on that panel.

Wilbor also served on the village's zoning board of appeals and its plan commission in the 1990s, and he was a school board member in Peoria in the early 1960s.

He was a church elder, led a conservation group and served on a condominium board, too.

But he was most proud of his time in the Naval Air Corps, which he joined in 1945 after graduating from prep school.

"He said getting his wings was probably the proudest moment of his life," recalled his wife, Marcia.

Wilbor, who had homes in Lake Barrington and Beulah, Mich., died Oct. 21 after a six-week battle with cancer. He was 79.

Visitation is set for 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 3 at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main St., Barrington. A memorial service will be held Nov. 3 in Beulah.

Wilbor was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., and grew up in Connecticut. He graduated from Tabor Academy, a Massachusetts prep school, and joined the Navy shortly before World War II ended.

While in the military, he served as a fighter pilot and taught instrument navigation to the renowned Blue Angels stunt flying team.

Wilbor earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Ohio State University in 1953. That year he joined Square D as a field engineer, and over the years he rose to vice president of distribution and marketing management.

He and his family moved throughout the Midwest and to Baltimore. He retired in 1989.

Wilbor's municipal service in Lake Barrington began in 1991 when he joined the plan commission. He also joined the village's zoning board of appeals in 1994 and served on both panels until 1997.

He joined the village board that year and served as a trustee until 2003.

Wilbor also served as a board member and vice president of a Barrington land preservation group called Citizens for Conservation from 1990 to 2000.

In Michigan, Wilbor was a church elder and volunteered at the Point Betsie Lighthouse gift shop with his wife.

Volunteering and public service were very important to Wilbor, his wife said.

"He felt like he owed the community where he lived," Marcia Wilbor said. "He said it was necessary for people to volunteer and make it a better place."

In addition to his wife, Wilbor is survived by two children and three sisters.

Instead of flowers, memorials can be sent to: Benzie County Animal Welfare in Frankfort, Mich.; Point Betsie Lighthouse in Frankfort, Mich.; Citizens for Conservation in Barrington; or Hospice of Northeastern Illinois in Barrington.