DuPage County notable deaths of 2009
A look back at some of the notable deaths of 2009 in DuPage County:
Arthur Armbrust
The 81-year-old head of one of Wheaton's longest-standing businesses, Armbrust Plumbing, died in June. He served on the Wheaton Library Board from 1974 to 1977, established the DuPage Parochial League and in 1973 was the recipient of Rotary International's first "Mr. Four-Way Test."
Hudson Taylor Armerding
The 91-year-old served as Wheaton College's fifth president from 1965 to 1982. He died Dec. 1 at Windsor Park Manor Retirement Community in Carol Stream. During his tenure as Wheaton College's president, Armerding oversaw construction of a new library, the Billy Graham Center and a science building that was named in his honor a decade after it was built.
Frank Bellinger
The 88-year-old former DuPage County Board member died in February after a lengthy illness. The Glen Ellyn-area man was influential in preserving thousands of acres of open space as a member of the county board and forest preserve district from 1961 until he retired in 1988.
Gail Andrews Bivin
The longtime downtown Naperville merchant died in October after a battle with cancer - just days after turning over the keys to her popular Canterbury Shoppe to a new owner. Bivin, 54, was known for her generosity and community spirit.
Lori Ann Breese and Steven Elliott
Breese, 37, and Elliott, 32, both perished when fire ravaged their Keeneyville house in late November. Authorities are still trying to determine what sparked the blaze, which also sent four others - including two children - to the hospital.
Eunice Chang
The 14-year-old Aurora girl was an eighth-grader at Granger Middle School when she died in February after a 14-month battle with brain cancer. Throughout her ordeal she worried about her homework and the well-being of those around her.
David Coungeris
The 53-year-old Bloomingdale mechanic was found dead March 6 at the auto shop where he lived and worked. Police said he had been bludgeoned to death by 23-year-old Timothy Bailey-Woodson of Chicago who used to do odd jobs around the shop.
Jason Dragos
The 38-year-old Indiana man was found shot to death Feb. 8 at the Burr Ridge trucking company where he worked. John Gilbert, a 45-year-old co-worker from Chicago, has been charged in connection with the murder.
Michelle Fahle
The 14-year-old Naperville North girl died unexpectedly in October after suffering from flu-like symptoms. Authorities said Michelle tested positive for the H1N1 virus, but they also found a serious and undiagnosed heart defect that was a significant factor in her death.
Larry Gregory
From North Central College to the Riverwalk, his handiwork was at the heart of Naperville for decades. The founder of Gregory Electric, Inc., died in May at 81, but those who knew him best say his influence on the city lives on. The entrepreneur spent most of his life in Naperville, growing up on a farm that is now the Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center.
Derek Hernandez
The 15-year-old Wheaton North High School junior died in July after a brief battle with liver cancer. The boy had reported feeling ill just weeks before, and that's when doctors discovered his cancer.
Harry Kalas
The Naperville native, who became a Hall of Fame baseball announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies and served as the voice of NFL Films, died in April at age 73 before a Phillies game with the Washington Nationals.
Rev. Michael Komechak
The priest at Lisle's Benedictine University collected more than 3,000 pieces for the school's art collection and served in countless roles at the university and nearby Benet Academy. He died in August after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Charles Krueger Sr.
The Wheaton businessman always treated his Round-the-Clock restaurant as a home rather than a business, family and friends said. The restaurant opened in 1968 and was a staple in downtown Wheaton for almost 30 years. Krueger, 85, died in November.
Carl W. Kuhn
The retired Bartlett lawyer was found dead in his home Aug. 21. He had been suffocated. At first authorities believed the 82-year-old had died of natural causes, but investigators noticed many items in the house were out of place and soon launched a murder investigation. The investigation resulted in the arrests of 21-year-old Keith L. Allen of Chicago and 43-year-old Terry S. Bratcher of West Chicago.
Bart Loiacono
The lifelong Wheaton resident was the founder and publisher of NoteLife.org magazine, a monthly guide to entertainment in the suburbs. A former DJ and West Chicago restaurant owner, he died in November at age 55 after battling cancer.
John Ford
The man who controlled sound levels for the Naperville Municipal Band for roughly 40 years died on the last day of 2008 at age 86. He also recorded and produced two vinyl albums and one CD of the band's music.
The Mangiantini family
Thomas Mangiantini opened fire on his sons, Angelo, 12, and Tommy Jr., 8, and his wife, Elizabeth "Betts," before killing himself in their Addison home the morning before Thanksgiving. Nearly 600 people came to celebrate the family during funeral services.
Margaret Dolan McLennon
The Lombard woman - she also lived in Bloomingdale and Palatine - was crowned Miss Chicago at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair and then spent much of her life raising money for charity. She died in January at age 94.
Viola 'Vi' Morrisroe
She became Bloomingdale's first - and so far only - female president when she won a special election in November 1977 and served until 1979 when she moved out of state. Morrisroe, who died in October at age 71, also served the village as a trustee, as chairwoman of the plan commission, as a founding member of the Old Town Historic Commission and as chairwoman of the September Fest commission.
Michael Norton
The 55-year-old Glen Ellyn man was gunned down May 14 in his Norton's Sweet Shop in Chicago's West Humboldt Park neighborhood. Two ex-tenants whom Norton had recently evicted from his building are charged with his slaying.
Jack O'Brien
Long active in Lombard, he was elected to the village board in 2005 and served one term before his re-election bid fell short in early 2009. He was active in the village's circulator bus program and also cast one of the deciding votes to demolish the controversial DuPage Theatre. He died in October at age 64.
Michael Pearson
The 22-year-old Army Pfc. from Bolingbrook was one of 13 fatalities when a fellow soldier opened fire in November at Fort Hood, Texas. Hundreds gathered in Joliet to say goodbye to the fallen soldier.
Laura Peterson
Being an educator was both a joy and a challenge for the principal of River Woods Elementary School who worked in Naperville Unit District 203 for more than 30 years. "She just loved what she did. She loved every bit of it," daughter Sandy Golminas said. "There were details that were not so much fun, but she loved her job." Peterson died in May at age 60 after battling cancer.
Paul Podzamsky
The 68-year-old Hanover Park man played Santa at Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale for 15 years. He died in mid-September.
Ron Putzell
The longtime Itasca trustee died unexpectedly in his home in January. Putzell, 59, had served on the village board since 1995 and was known for his activism and honesty.
Jaquan Reed
The 3-year-old Roselle boy was shot to death in May while staying with relatives who live in Chicago.
Michael A. Scalzo
The 40-year-old Wheaton man was stabbed to death in June. A neighbor, Michael R. Delaney, was charged with his murder.
Brianna Sharp
The 13-year-old Naperville girl lost her battle with a rare form of brain cancer in July. She had continued her passion for painting and drawing right up until the end.
Firouz Hosseini Tehrani
The Iranian-born Wheaton man worked for 25 years to create his Oakbrook Terrace-based software firm, which serves such companies as Pepsi and Motorola. He died in June at age 64.
Michael Vergauwen
The Downers Grove man dove into Chicago's Monroe Harbor in June to rescue a friend who had dropped below the surface while trying to recover a suitcase. Vergauwen was able to save his friend but not himself, and wound up drowning at the Columbia Yacht Club. He was the chief operating officer at AVI Systems in Bensenville.
Gary Webster
He spent almost four decades in municipal administration, including roughly 22 as Glen Ellyn village manager, before retiring in 2006. He died at age 64 in mid-August in Tucson, Ariz. Among the village's accomplishments during Webster's tenure: the Baker Hill commercial development, passage of a streets and sewer referendum, and redevelopment along Roosevelt Road and at the Five Corners.
Craig Weldon
The Bensenville District 2 school board member, who was known for being frugal with taxpayers' money, died in late December after a lengthy illness. He had been a board member since 1999.
Sarah Wentworth
The 89-year-old Chicago woman was suffering from dementia when she wandered from an Itasca nursing home in the early morning hours of Feb. 5 and died of exposure to the cold.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=346995">Northwest suburban notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=347021">Fox Valley notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=346983">DuPage County notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=346909">Lake County's notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>