Fox River Grove mayor dies
Kay Laube, Fox River Grove's village president, lost her battle with cancer Monday.
Laube, 61, at the village's helm since 2005, has long been active in her community, serving on the town's zoning board of appeals from 1985 to 2005, on Fox River Grove School District 3's board from 1997 to 2005 and as a founding member of the Fox River Grove Lioness Club.
She had been fighting cancer for about five years, said Village Administrator Art Osten, who, out of respect for her family, declined to elaborate.
That it took her life came as a shock to her colleagues, said Osten, who worked with Laube for nearly 11 years.
"She kept it pretty much to herself," Osten said. "She was a very private person and didn't want to make it a big issue and wanted to keep family and personal matters personal."
In October, trustees will pick a successor from among themselves to complete Laube's term, which expires next spring.
On Thursday, the board will name a president pro tem to run the board meeting and will pay tribute to the mother of two, whose political career got off the ground in 1985 ground as a member of the zoning board of appeals.
As village president, turning Fox River Grove into a greener community became a hallmark of her administration.
The town now operates high-efficiency streetlights and will be cutting back on lit Christmas decorations throughout the village, Osten said.
Laube also was heavily involved in finding a new home for the public works facility; the current site is falling apart and the wastewater treatment plant that shares the same building does not yet meet guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Laube was devoted to Fox River Grove and always put village's needs before anything else, Osten said.
"She was, as they call a consummate (Fox River) Grover," Osten said. "She was the epitome of what a Grover is."
Laube is survived by her husband Ed and two children, Mary and Ed.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at Kahle-Moore Funeral Home in Cary.
Services will be at 12:30 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Cary.
A reception follows at Fox River Grove Middle School.