In memoriam: Remembering influential Northwest suburban residents we lost in 2021

Trailblazing politicians. Dedicated community servants. Business leaders whose philanthropic work enriched their communities. And a Holocaust survivor who devoted her life to educating, to inspiring, and to combating the type of hatred and prejudice she experienced.

These are among the influential and important Northwest suburban residents we said farewell to this year.

As we move ahead to the promise of a new year, let's first take a look back at some of the important and influential people we lost in 2021.

Grant Blaney

Buffalo Grove High School's first head football coach, and leader of the program's only state championship in 1986, died Jan. 12 at 86. The high school's football field is named in his honor.

Chadwick Raymond

The longtime director of the Northbrook Public Library, Raymond lived the motto of "Service Above Self" through his involvement in the Rotary Club of Northbrook and numerous other community organizations and initiatives. Raymond died Jan. 11 at 68 years old.

Jack Whisler

One of the visionaries behind the redevelopment of downtown Arlington Heights, Whisler's work as a developer and member of several village commissions helped lay the foundation for today's bustling central district. Whisler died Jan. 25. He was 84.

Richard Pepper

Known for his love for the construction industry and his many civic contributions, the Barrington resident led The Pepper Companies, a company formed in 1927 by his father, Stanley Pepper. He and his wife, Roxelyn, were major financial backers of the Barrington Historical Society, were honored in 2017 for supporting Maryville's Center for Children, and were recognized in 2006 by the Illinois Humanities Council with a Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award. He died Jan. 28 at 90 years old.

Elwood "Woody" Hughes

One of the state's last survivors of the Battle of Iwo Jima and a witness to the iconic flag-raising by his fellow Marines. After the war, Hughes became a longtime teacher and coach at Maine West High School in Des Plaines. He died Feb. 2 at 95 years old.

Richard "Dick" Iosso

Suburban business owner who developed a chrome-plating process that produced parts for the Apollo 11 moon landing. The longtime Schaumburg resident founded Elk Grove Village-based Iosso Products in 1970. He died March 28. He was 87.

DeAnn Glover

The former Buffalo Grove trustee is remembered for her legacy of community service and devotion to family. She especially was devoted to the Buffalo Grove Days festival and received the Bill Reid Community Service Award for her work on that and other volunteer projects. Glover died March 29, at her home in Gardner, Kansas. She was 77.

David Buchheit

Taught science for more than 30 years in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and spent another 20 in adult community education. However, his legacy will remain in the chess teams he coached and his role in growing the activity among schools in the Illinois High School Association. Buchheit passed away April 1 at 80 years old.

Corinne Wood

A trailblazing politician whose legal background, moderate voice and ability to reach across the aisle helped her become the first female lieutenant governor in Illinois. Wood, who grew up in Barrington and served as lieutenant governor alongside Gov. George Ryan from 1999 to 2003, died May 14 from complications related to her 15 years with metastatic breast cancer. She was 66.

Susan Preissing

Merged her passions for reading and service with a 12-year tenure on the Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 Board of Education. She was elected to the board in 2003, and within a year of joining she was elected by her colleagues to serve as an officer. She died May 14 after an eight-week battle with COVID-19. The Arlington Heights resident was 56.

Fritzie Fritzshall

A Buffalo Grove resident who as a teen was imprisoned in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex, Fritzshall later became a voice for fellow survivors - and victims - of the Holocaust. She served as president of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie and was a prominent speaker on the Holocaust. She died June 19. She was 91.

John Flannery

In the world of intellectual property, attorney John Flannery was a giant. Back in 1960, he obtained the original patent on the videotape recorder, that literally changed the future of television, and his caseload of complex issues grew from there. The longtime Park Ridge resident died July 10. He was 92.

Elizabeth Hull

Against all odds, the Palatine resident ran for Congress in 1996 against the longtime Republican incumbent Phil Crane. At the time, she was an English professor at Harper College, but it was her work with the League of Women Voters in Palatine that prepared her - and her passion for women's rights that drove her. Hull died Aug. 3. She was 84.

Margery Frisbie

As a historian, author and Daily Herald columnist, Frisbie brought to life the story of her hometown of Arlington Heights for generations of readers. Over the years, she helped to document the history of St. James Catholic Church, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, the First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights and the Arlington Heights Historical Society. She died Aug. 7 at 98 years old.

William "Bill" Shannon

When Elk Grove Village celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1996, its leaders tapped Shannon to be the grand marshal of the inaugural Hometown Parade. Known as "Mr. Elk Grove" to local residents, Shannon had a hand in shaping the village's footprint - and the next generation of leaders. Shannon died Aug. 9. He was 91.

Donald Van Cleave

Devoted himself to helping others after retiring from the Standard Oil Company. He was remembered for his nearly three decades of dedicated service behind the scenes at Palatine Township. The longtime Palatine resident died Sept. 2. He was 89.

Maria Rodriguez

During a political career that spanned three decades, Rodriguez served as Long Grove's village clerk, as a village trustee and ultimately as its village president. She also ran for the Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District in 2010 and for lieutenant governor in 2014. She died Oct. 19. She was 62.

The Rev. John "Jack" Dewes

While he served at five suburban Catholic parishes over the course of his 56 years as a priest, it is at St. Anne Catholic Church in Barrington where his legacy lies. Dewes led the 3,500-family parish for two decades, including during a nearly 10-year, $15 million campus development plan. He passed away Nov. 13 at 82 years old.

Edith Jolly

The former Arlington Heights village trustee served from the late 1970s to the early '90s, a period of great transformation in the village. But she was best remembered for the relationships she built with the residents who elected her time and again to positions of leadership. Jolly died Nov. 20. She was 90.

Clint Herdegen

A patrolman at heart, Herdegen served as police chief in Hoffman Estates, where he spent most of his law enforcement career, and later Libertyville. Known as a "servant leader" with a calm demeanor, he focused on training the next generation of officers. Herdegen died Nov. 22. He was 61 years old.

Pete Rosengren

The vice president of sales and digital strategies for the Daily Herald Media Group died unexpectedly on March 28 during a family vacation in Florida. Known for his quick wit, energy and compassion, Rosengren, 42, also was remembered for his heroism after he hurried into dangerous Gulf of Mexico waters to save his sons and other children being carried out to sea by a rip current. Lifeguards performed CPR but were unable to revive him. Associated with the Daily Herald for more than 20 years, the Batavia resident was appointed to his position in December 2020 after serving five years as vice president of advertising.