Notable Fox Valley area deaths of 2018

Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia owes its existence, in part, to the late Leon Lederman.

He was the first to propose the United States build a "truly national" accelerator laboratory to attract scientists not just from around the country, but from around the world. He would go on to become director of the lab from 1978 to 1989, overseeing the construction of the legendary Tevatron, which reigned for more than two decades as the world's most powerful particle-smasher. Data from its runs led scientists in 1995 to declare they had found the top quark, the most massive of all observed elementary particles.

Lederman died Oct. 3 at age 96.

Besides overseeing Fermilab, the Nobel Prize recipient was a political advocate for science education. And he gave an enduring nickname - "the God particle" - to the Higgs boson.

Other people we lost in 2018:

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Tom Weisner, 69, served as Aurora's mayor for nearly 12 years before his health forced him to step down at the end of October 2016. He first was elected to head the state's second-largest city in 2005 and took the initiative on projects such as construction of RiverEdge Park and the expansion of Chicago Premium Outlets. He spent nearly 20 years working for the city before being elected mayor, overseeing a variety of operations including emergency management, public properties and organizational development. Before becoming active in the city, he and his wife, Marilyn, served in the Peace Corps, assisting rain forest dwellers in the highlands of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Mayor Richard Irvin said Weisner led with passion, persistence and professionalism. "Without question, Tom Weisner will forever be synonymous with Aurora, Illinois," he said.

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An esteemed former athletic director, educator and coach at St. Charles High School, Paul Bergeson is remembered by loved ones for his compassion, his patience and his ability to always see the best in people. Bergeson, 91, died Dec. 10. He was an avid outdoorsman, a devoted family man and a lifelong resident of the Fox Valley, his children said.

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Former Geneva Mayor Richard Lindholm's dedication, passion and involvement in his community extended long after his time in office and continued even as illness limited his physical ability in his later years, relatives said. He died Oct. 26 at age 91. Only a week prior, his daughter said, he had been discussing his vision for a redevelopment project in Geneva. Lindholm served for six years as alderman before starting his eight-year tenure as mayor in 1965. He was the Geneva Township supervisor and also was involved with the Geneva History Museum and the Fabyan Foundation.

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Jack Shales, a longtime community leader in Elgin who believed we are brought into this world to aid other people, died in January. Shales' longest-running gig was with the United Way, which began when he was assigned to collect donations from fellow employees at Illinois Hydraulic Construction Co. in 1954. He never stopped, even while founding in 1983 the construction company Seagren/Shales (now Shales McNutt Construction.) The United Way made him a lifetime director of the group, and named the "Spirit of Community" award for him in 2004. Shales served on the boards of the Salvation Army and the Gail Borden Public Library Foundation, and emceed Easter Seals telethons.

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Longtime volunteer Doris Hunt, the matriarch of one of St. Charles' most philanthropic families, died April 2 at 88. She and her husband, Max, who died several years ago, were responsible for launching programs, reviving struggling organizations and offering advice to local residents, city leaders said. Both Doris and Max were past recipients of the William D. Barth Award for community service, and a sculpture was constructed on the St. Charles River Corridor honoring their volunteerism.

• Literally to his dying day, Art Velasquez of North Aurora was on the phone trying to connect people he thought should be working on the causes of education, civil rights for Latinos, Democratic politics and the rights of laborers. He died in late January at age 83. Velasquez moved to the Aurora area in the 1970s and worked as an international representative for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters of America. He was president of the League of United Latin American Citizens Council 5218, a civil-rights organization. He was active in local Democratic politics, but ran just once for office, in 2012; he lost to a family friend, with whose mother he had worked on civic issues years before.

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Martin Johnson, the founder of the Garfield Farm and Inn Museum in Campton Hills, died Sept. 11 at 95. Johnson and his late wife, Evelyn, a volunteer historic preservationist, established and preserved Illinois' only intact 1840s prairie farmstead and inn as a living history museum. During Johnson's 41 years of leadership, the museum expanded from 163 acres to 375 acres. The couple established two nonprofits - the Garfield Heritage Society managing the museum's operations and tours, and the Campton Historic Agricultural Lands, which owns the bulk of the property and is responsible for the restoration of buildings.

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Jeff Long's day job was public affairs and communications manager for the Fox Valley Park District. But his passion was running the district's annual Mid-American Canoe and Kayak Race. Long died in May of colon cancer at age 54. He was a longtime kayaker. Becoming race director just kind of happened. The race, which began in 1961, had declined in popularity by the 2000s. "He had blown new life in to it," said district Executive Director Jim Pilmer. Long shortened it to a 10-mile race, added a 6-mile version, opened the race to kayakers, and developed detailed guides on the Fox River's condition each year for the entrants.

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Friends of Myra Becker remember the 94-year-old Elgin woman as never being afraid to take a stance. Her oversized yard sign calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump was proof of that, they said. But the political activist also was known for her community involvement, her high energy and her desire to help those in need. Becker, a retired speech pathologist, died July 10, less than two weeks after participating in a Keep Families Together rally in Elgin.

• Robert "Bob" L. Pleticha Jr., 76, of Elgin, a lifelong teacher, mentor and coach to Elgin-area youth, died in September. He was a Vietnam War-era veteran and taught for 32 years in Elgin Area School District U-46 before retiring in 2008. He founded the Elgin Sharks Track Club in 1980 and was head coach and mentor to thousands of children

• Dennis Hewitt, 69, the former longtime executive director of PADS in Elgin, died in November after a brief battle with cancer. A native of Elgin, he worked for 27 years at Biggers Chevrolet in Elgin before he was hired in 2003 to lead PADS, for which he'd been a longtime volunteer. PADS became the city's first permanent shelter for men, women and children under Hewitt's leadership in 2007. He retired in 2016.

•During his 16 years as a St. Charles alderman in the 1980s and '90s, Gus Enzenbacher always made an extra effort to get to know his constituents, loved ones recall. He died May 5 at age 87. During his time in office, he often would walk to city council meetings to chat with residents along the way, and he was largely responsible for a project to expand Dean Street. He also was involved in his church and local organizations.

• Elida Cano, 34, who took on a mission of spreading awareness of breast cancer among Latinas, died in March after a hard-fought battle against the disease. Cano worked as a tax adviser, served as a board member for Shared Harvest and Elgin Hispanic Network, and was active at Church of Christ in Elgin. Cano became dedicated to prompting Latinas to do breast exams and get mammograms. She shared her story at an American Cancer Society gala in Chicago and participated in breast-cancer awareness walks, for which she raised money.

• Hampshire Middle School physical education teacher Barbara Taylor died Sept. 20 after suffering a medical emergency at school. Taylor, 57, of Hampshire, sustained fatal head injuries when she fell. Taylor taught for 11 years at Hampshire Middle School and worked in Community Unit District 300 for 21 years. She previously was a physical education teacher at Eastview Elementary in Algonquin and Golfview Elementary in Carpentersville, and coached middle school basketball and volleyball.