Schaumburg mourns loss of former Mayor Atcher's widow
Family members and longtime friends are mourning the death this week of Maggie Atcher — the widow of Schaumburg's influential second mayor Bob Atcher — at the age of 88.
Maggie was known not only as the “First Lady of Schaumburg,” but also as a musical partner in her husband's WLS National Barn Dance radio and TV shows. Their act would later include their three children as well, during appearances at state and county fairs in the late 1970s.
“I think she really was the inspiration for Bob when it came to art and culture,” current Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson said Thursday. “She was just a wonderful person. You couldn't be around her and feel bad.”
Her son Rob said Maggie began singing professionally in high school, having to be accompanied by her parents for performances at such nightspots as Chicago's Green Mill.
Born Marguerite Whitehill in 1927, she met her husband at the Wrigley Restaurant in Chicago. He offered her a ride home and a marriage proposal at first sight.
Their daughter, Chris Murov, said she got the folksier nickname of Maggie from her husband to fit their country music act, but it ended up suiting her perfectly.
Larson recalled her infectious laugh as one of her defining traits.
“To know her is to laugh with her,” he said. “You'd want her in the audience for any show. She was someone you instantly liked and loved. She made the world a better place.”
Though Bob Atcher received the spotlight as mayor during the early years of Schaumburg's development, Maggie's influence on him and the evolution of the village were almost too profound for words, Larson said.
Among her personal accomplishments were helping to form the village's first cultural arts commission, making the Prairie Center of the Arts a reality, and co-founding the kindergarten her children would attend.
“She had too strong of a personality to sit mildly in the corner and wait for someone else to do something,” Larson said.
Murov said Maggie made a priority of ensuring that Schaumburg residents had access to cultural opportunities. She also valued preservation of the natural environment and wanted Schaumburg's growth to avoid the worst excesses of urban development.
The official naming of the Maggie Atcher Theatre at the Prairie Center in October 2006 was incredibly important to her because she'd never received the same “Good job!” acknowledgment her husband had as mayor, Murov said.
Though details are still subject to change, local services are tentatively planned for Tuesday, July 26, at Ahlgrim & Sons Funeral Home, 330 W. Golf Road in Schaumburg, with a visitation at 10 a.m. to be followed by funeral services at noon.
While no family members remain in the Chicago area, she will be buried in the suburbs beside her husband, Chris said.
In lieu of flowers, the family is encouraging donations in her name to the Schaumburg Park District's Spring Valley Nature Center.