Former Elk Grove trustee Bart K. Dill dies

Bart K. Dill served the people of Elk Grove Village for half of his life in a variety of posts.

Starting in the early 1970s, he spent time on the village's park district board and its library board before eventually being elected a village trustee in 1997. He held that last post for a decade.

"Bart's 34 years of public service will remain unparalleled in Elk Grove history," Mayor Craig B. Johnson said in a news release. "Bart was more than an elected official. He was a friend and colleague of the Elk Grove community."

Dill, 76, died Thursday at his home from complications of Parkinson's disease, a daughter said.

Visitation is scheduled for 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at Grove Memorial Chapel, 1199 Arlington Heights Road, Elk Grove Village.

Prayers will be said at 9:15 a.m. Monday, April 20, at the chapel. A funeral Mass will follow at 10 a.m. at Queen of the Rosary Church, 750 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove Village.

Entombment will follow at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine.

Born in Chicago, Dill graduated from Weber High School and then attended St. Benedictine College in Kansas. He worked for 36 years for BP Amoco.

But he was best known for his public service.

Dill served on the Elk Grove Village Park District board from 1971 to 1985, including a term as president.

Among his accomplishments, he oversaw the development of the Fox Run Golf Course and helped create the fitness center at the former Lively Junior High School.

Dill moved on to the local library board in 1987 and served on that panel until 1997. The current library on Wellington Avenue was built during his tenure.

Dill then jumped to the village board. He was elected to three terms but retired early in 2007 because of his health.

Dill is the only person in village history to serve on all three boards, said his daughter, Christina Sitter.

"He enjoyed public service because he loved people," she said. "He walked into the room, and I'm telling you, people gravitated to him."

In addition to his elected service, Dill wrote columns for local newspapers. He loved to name-drop in print, Sitter said.

Dill is survived by his wife, Theresa; three children; and eight grandchildren.

Memorials can be sent to Vitas Hospice, the American Cancer Society or the National Parkinson Foundation.