Longtime Rosemont trustee dies suddenly after attending ribbon-cutting event

Rosemont’s mayor and village board members held a moment of silence Monday for longtime Trustee Roger Minale, who recently died of a heart attack just moments after attending a ribbon cutting in town.

Minale — a regular presence at business openings, chamber of commerce mixers and other community events — was one of the local dignitaries at the Aug. 26 grand opening party for the refurbished Hyatt Centric Chicago O’Hare hotel.

The 82-year-old died suddenly, shortly after returning home from the event, said Mayor Brad Stephens. Services were held last week.

The shock from Minale’s passing is still setting in at village hall, where black and purple bunting was placed above the entrance. At Monday morning’s village board meeting, bunting also was draped over his seat on the dais and a vase of roses placed nearby.

It’s also a somber mood at the Rosemont Health & Fitness club, where Minale was a daily presence.

Stephens described Minale as a big advocate for Rosemont and a family man, regularly seen in his driveway playing with his grandkids.

“Rosemont was 1A behind his family,” the mayor said.

Just elected to a fifth four-year term in April, Minale was preceded by his father Steve on the village board. The younger Minale was previously on the village’s zoning board of appeals and 911 board, but Stephens said he was “resilient” in efforts to get slated for a village board post by the Rosemont Voters’ League — the political committee that has long recruited and supported candidates for local offices.

Minale got involved in village politics while he was working his way up the ranks as a salesman at Comdisco, the computer equipment leasing company that was based in Rosemont.

Stephens said he will begin the process to find Minale’s replacement next week by accepting resumes and short narratives from interested candidates. The mayoral appointment, which comes with the advice and consent of the village board, is expected to take place by the end of the year.

The new trustee would serve at least until the April 2027 election.