Former Wheeling Twp. assessor dies at 82

Those who remember former Wheeling Township Assessor Dolores C. Stephan say she was dedicated to making sure taxpayers had a local resource to answer their assessment-related questions.

She was especially concerned, according to her friends and family, with helping seniors and people with disabilities. So she would often make house calls and visit residents to go over their property assessments.

“The bottom line was she liked helping people,” said daughter Linda Karch of Arlington Heights.

Mrs. Stephan, also of Arlington Heights, died Saturday at the age of 82.

She served as assessor from 1981 to 2005 and was responsible for providing assistance with assessment appeals and exemptions for residents in a 36-square mile area that includes portions of nine villages. She began working in the assessor’s office in 1974.

“There was no part of this job that I didn’t like,” Stephan said during a retirement party in 2005. “It wasn’t because of the money. It was because of the people.”

In the days before computers, Stephan oversaw an office that dealt with stacks of paperwork every day. She ran a tight ship and did it professionally, said Jane Cazel, who worked as the deputy assessor until retiring in 1997.

“She was a crackerjack in her field. Other townships would call her for advice,” Cazel said. “She knew the assessor’s job in and out. She held that office in regard and kept it running very well-oiled.”

While the Cook County assessor’s office sets property values and administers appeals, the local township office under Stephan provided a convenience to residents, who could “get assistance locally and not go downtown,” Cazel said.

“There were times we would see 3,000 per month doing appeals. It was interesting back then,” Cazel said. “She certainly knew her stuff.”

Stephan was active in local Republican Party politics, serving as the party’s deputy state central committeewoman for the 10th Congressional District. She campaigned for local politicians and organized candidate brunches through her involvement with the Wheeling Township Republican organization.

Though in 2005, Stephan lost the election to fellow Republican Dan Patlak 53 percent to 47 percent. She said at the time that party officials wanted her to retire to make room for Patlak, who currently serves on the Cook County Board of Review.

Stephan also worked as a realtor in Arlington Heights starting in 1981, first with Dick Williams, and most recently with Prudential Starck Realtors. Karch says Stephan was encouraged to take real estate classes by former Wheeling Township Assessor Marshall Theroux.

Stephan also taught religious education classes at St. Edna Catholic Church in Arlington Heights for 10 years and served on church committees, Karch said.

Even with all of her civic and professional involvement, Stephan always put family first, Karch said.

“She was always watching the grandkids,” she said.

Stephan, a two-time breast cancer survivor, was diagnosed with vascular dementia last year. Karch said that made her mother slow down from her normally active, social daily routine.

“She could be a little rough around the edges if you talk to some of her co-workers,” Karch said. “She turned into a sweet, quiet woman. It’s who she was deep down.”

Stephan is survived by her two daughters, son-in-law, three grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation is scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road. A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at St. Edna Catholic Church, 2525 N. Arlington Heights Road. Interment will follow at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine.