Services set for former E. Dundee mayor

Few people knew the inner workings of East Dundee as completely as William Bartels, those closest to the former village president say.

Bartels died Tuesday at 92.

A lifelong resident of East Dundee, Bartels dedicated 47 years to serving the village and the people he loved, including 18 years as mayor.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 310 E. Main St., East Dundee.

Memorials can be made to Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church's Ignite Campaign.

Bartels' grandson, Jerry, who was village president from 2005 to 2007, said his grandfather would often joke that he could remember a time when dirt roads traversed the village and people walked along wooden sidewalks.

"He was a wealth of information and he knew all of the history," Jerry Bartels said. "We would talk about how the village got to where it is today."

That experience and knowledge, colleagues say, were just a few of the invaluable attributes Bartels offered both residents and village officials.

"He always knew why prior boards did what they did and could explain the reasoning behind it," said Jill Yucuis, the village president from 1993 to 2001 who began her work with the village when Bartels appointed her clerk in 1988.

"When most people would say, 'I don't know why they did it that way,' he could always tell you why. He did his homework and was very thorough."

First elected to the board in 1949, his long run helping to govern East Dundee was interrupted only once, for about three years, when he underwent open heart surgery in 1986.

Bartels retired from his civic duties in 2001 at the age of 85.

"Bill was just wonderful to work with," said Dave Bartelt, who served as village treasurer and then as a trustee from 1973 to 1985. "He knew how to lead the board, he let the board make its own decisions. But he was always there for guidance."

His diplomacy also made him an effective leader, colleagues said.

"He would disagree, but he would disagree respectfully," Yucuis said.

Bartelt, who served as interim village president for three years after Bartels' heart bypass surgery, also testified to Bartels' diplomacy.

"When the board didn't quite agree with which path to follow, we left that disagreement at the board table and that was it," Bartelt said. "That made it a pleasure to serve with Bill on the board."

The Bartels name will be a part of East Dundee for years to come. In 1996, the Dundee Township Park district renamed Triangle Park, at the corner of Barrington Avenue and River Street, William C. Bartels Park in his honor.

"He was a leader in the community and he will be sorely missed by his family and the community," Jerry Bartels said.