District 96 board member, Buffalo Grove volunteer dies of cancer

Lauren Gordon, a longtime volunteer in Buffalo Grove and a Kildeer-Countryside District 96 school board member, died Tuesday.

Gordon, 55, had been battling breast cancer for several years, but it had recently spread.

"Lauren was a really bright, articulate woman," said District 96 Superintendent Julie Schmidt. "She was a great supporter of the district and was really key in moving us forward in a lot of areas."

Schmidt said Gordon had a passion for her work on the board, where she was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015. She was a member of the board's committee for social-emotional learning and part of the bargaining team during the last contract negotiations with teachers.

"She was a really involved, thoughtful board member," Schmidt said. "She will really be missed very much." Gordon's husband, David, died in June from complications of open heart surgery. The two have one son in college at Princeton University and another who is a student at Stevenson High School.

"They were a very active couple in the community," Schmidt said. "It's really been very tragic."

In addition to her work on the school board, Gordon previously worked for the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago for 12 years, including four years as executive director of the Northwest Suburban JCC in Buffalo Grove, according to her Daily Herald candidate profile.

She was previously a PTO member, committee chairman and co-president at the schools her children attended in District 96 - Ivy Hall School, Twin Grove Middle School and Willow Grove School. She also was on the board of directors at Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove for four years.

A funeral for Gordon will be held at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Beth Judea, Route 83 and Hilltop Road in Long Grove, with burial to follow at Shalom Memorial Park, 1700 W. Rand Road in Arlington Heights.