Bill Rose remembered as the 'father' of South Barrington

Legend holds that the village of South Barrington was formed more than 50 years ago by a group of neighbors sitting around a kitchen table.

They gathered at the home of Bill Rose, who helped organize the meeting in an effort to preserve the rural feeling of the community - and its five-acre lot minimum - in the face of developers who wanted to begin building subdivisions on local farmland.

Mr. Rose, who also served as CEO of Rose Packing in Barrington and Chicago, and founded the Millrose Restaurant in South Barrington, died Friday after suffering a heart attack at his vacation home in Marco Island, Fla. He was 83.

"I've always regarded Bill as the father of the village," says Frank Munao Jr., South Barrington mayor. "He was definitely the driving force. He had a sincere feeling about the entire Barrington area - that the community needed to be saved from higher-density development that he felt would change its character."

One of those neighbors who attended the kitchen table meeting was Bill Brough, who as a civil engineer was drafted to draw up the map of the proposed village.

"We put the village together over the course of a weekend," says Brough, of South Barrington. "It's pretty remarkable when you think about it."

Brough adds that the group had a good rapport with the German farmers in the area, who owned much of the land. They also drew the service of local attorney Bill Braithwaite, who helped walk them through the process of incorporating a village.

They rushed to file their petition on the following Monday morning with the Cook County Clerk's office, arriving just ahead of their competitors. When they appeared in court, they filed their petition before Cook County Circuit Judge Otto Kerner.

Both Mr. Rose and Brough served as early trustees, however Mr. Rose only served a few years, given all of his business commitments.

As CEO of Rose Packing, he oversaw the growth of the meat packing company started by his grandfather, Louis Rose, in 1924. The family-owned-and-operated business has become a leading producer of pork products, and of pork processing.

"His legacy is that he was willing to give up reigns of the business to the next generation at a relatively early age," says his son-in-law, Jim Vandenbergh, "so that they'd have the ability to run the business, make mistakes and be able to learn from them.

"One of his goals was to see Rose Packing run in perpetuity as a family business," Vandenbergh added, "and be viable enough for all of its (600) employees."

Mr. Rose went on to develop Millrose Restaurant Banquets & Country Store on Barrington Road in South Barrington, moving six 125-year-old barns from Wisconsin and Michigan to create the rustic facility, which features a hearty menu of steaks and chops.

Mr. Rose was preceded in death by his first wife Barbara. He is survived by his second wife Myrtle; as well as his children Peter (Zofia), Susan (James) Vandenbergh and Michael; nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Visitation will take place from 3-9 p.m. Wednesday at the Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main St. in Barrington, before a 10:30 a.m. funeral on Thursday at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington, 6 S. Brinker Road in Barrington Hills.