Former Burlington schools chief loved the classroom
In most cases, when a school superintendent steps down, it’s to retire, hit the golf course and celebrate the Golden Years.
For Edward E. Stock, it was time to return his roots and get back into the classroom.
“He enjoyed teaching and education of all kinds,” his wife, Carol Ann, recalled on Saturday. “He liked working with students better than administrators.”
Stock, a former Burlington Central High School biology teacher, principal and former District 301 superintendent, who later taught at Elgin Area School District U-46 before retiring in the 1990s, died Tuesday after an aneurysm. He was 81.
Stock met his wife in 1953 at Illinois State University and after they both graduated in 1954, they began teaching — middle school science for him and elementary school in Northbrook for her.
The couple were married for 57 years, and they lived in the Montague Forest subdivision in Elgin for more than four decades, raising three children.
“His first love was being with the kids and teaching science classes,” said one of Stock’s daughters, Vicki Molander, of Elgin. “He also enjoyed being an administrator. It was challenging in a different way, of course. He worked with the high school-aged and middle school-aged kids. He really had a knack for that age.”
After serving a superintendent, Stock taught science at Canton Middle School in Streamwood for Elgin School District U-46.
He also was a member of the original congregation that planned and built the Zion Lutheran Church, 330 Griswold St., Elgin.
Kim Kein, of Geneva, said her father was hands-on, taking time to play softball with his kids, inquiring about his grandchildren’s college studies and spending a lot of time with his great-grandson, Brenden.
Stock also loved planting trees, having pets, and reading — especially about great historical figures, Kein said.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Laird Funeral Home, 310 S. State St., Elgin. Burial is private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Zion Lutheran Church.