Notable Deaths In Illinois: Remembering Those We Lost In 2025

As we prepare for a new year, we look back at the lives of those we lost in the last 12 months, saddened they won't be around for what lies ahead in 2026. Here are just a few remembrances of notable people that died in 2025 with connections to Chicagoland and Illinois:

FEBRUARY

Former Chicago Bears Head Coach Dick Jauron Dies At 74

Dick Jauron, who coached the Chicago Bears from 1999 to 2003, died at the age of 74. Jauron named the AP Coach of the Year in 2001, leading the team to a 13-3 record. He also served as head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2006 to 2009.

Bears Owner Virginia McCaskey Dies At 102

Virginia McCaskey, who inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during four-plus decades as principal owner, died at the age of 102, reported The Associated Press. She had owned the Bears since her father's death on Oct. 31, 1983.

MARCH

Marian "Cindy" Pritzker, Family Matriarch And Aunt Of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Dies At 101

Marian "Cindy" Pritzker, the matriarch of one of Chicago's most powerful and generous families and the aunt of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, died at 101. She headed the Chicago Public Library board and co-founded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Her husband, Jay Pritzker, was the co-founder of Hyatt Hotels.

Margie Korshak, Chicago Public Relations Executive Who Worked With The Stars, Dies At 86

Chicago public relations executive Margie Korshak — whose PR powerhouse specialized in particular in serving the entertainment industry — died at the age of 86. In announcing Korshak's death, Broadway In Chicago called her a "trailblazing force" in the public relations industry, reported CBS Chicago.

APRIL

Chicago Bears Legend Dies After ALS Battle

Chicago Bears defensive tackle and Hall of Famer Steve "Mongo" McMichael died in Joliet at the age of 67. McMichael, who was a member of the famed 1985 Super Bowl champions, had battled ALS for several years. He played in the NFL for 15 years and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year.

MAY

Remembering George Wendt, Who Grew Up In Chicago's Beverly Neighborhood And Trained At The Second City

George Wendt, who was best known for playing the iconic character of Norm Peterson on "Cheers," died at the age of 76. Wendt grew up in the South Side's Beverly neighborhood and would go on to perfect his acting and comedy chops at Chicago's Second City.

Len Scaduto, Known For His Grit, Led '71 OLCHS Spartan Basketball Team To 2nd IHSA Finish

Len Scaduto, who led Oak Lawn Community High School to a second-place finish at the 1971 Illinois High School State Basketball Tournament, passed away on May 13. He was 93. Scaduto was the head varsity coach at Oak Lawn for 29 years (1962-1991), where he won 411 games during his tenure. He produced 15 winning seasons in a 17-year period at one point during his run as Oak Lawn’s head carsity coach and won five regional titles (1967, 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1988) at the school. He opened the Len Scaduto Driving School in the early 1970s.

JUNE

'Sanford And Son' Star Dies At Age 95

Character actor Lynn Hamilton, who grew up in Chicago Heights, died on June 19 at the age of 95. She is best known for her roles as Donna Harris on "Sanford and Son" and Verdie Grant Foster on "The Waltons." She attended Bloom High School and studied acting at Goodman Theatre.

JULY

Cubs Legend Ryne Sandberg Dead At 65

Chicago Cubs baseball legend Ryne Sandberg, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, died on July 18 at the age of 65. Known as "Ryno," he had been battling metastatic prostate cancer since last year. Sandberg played 16 years in MLB. The second baseman played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1981) and the Cubs (1982-1994, 1996-1997).

Michael Madsen, Frequent Quentin Tarantino Collaborator, Dies At 67

Actor Michael Madsen, best known for his decades working with Quentin Tarantino dating back to "Reservoir Dogs," died at the age of 67. A Chicago native, he attended New Trier High School and worked at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, serving as an apprentice under John Malkovich.

Prominent Chicago Defense Lawyer Dies At 78

Thomas Anthony Durkin, a nationally prominent criminal defense attorney who for five decades was a fixture in Chicago's courthouses and who was known for his relentless advocacy for a roster of notorious clients, died at the age of 78, reported The Associated Press.

Bobby Jenks, White Sox All-Star Pitcher, World Series Champ, Dead At 44

Bobby Jenks, a former Chicago White Sox All-Star pitcher and World Series champion, died in Portugal after battling stage 4 stomach cancer. Jenks, who was 44, is best known for earning the save with a scoreless ninth inning in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros, leading to “a game-ending groundout off the bat of Orlando Palmeiro to end an 88-year championship drought,” according to MLB.com.

'Rebel' Nun Sr. Pat Murphy, Beloved Sister Of Mercy, Immigrant Advocate, Dies At 96

A tireless advocate for immigrants and social justice, Sister Patricia M. Murphy, a beloved Mercy Sister, died at the age of 96. Mercy Sister Pat Murphy, and her lifelong companion, Sr. JoAnn Persch, 91, worked together in helping immigrants seeking asylum in the United States land on their feet by arranging housing and gather the necessary papers so they could get jobs and put them on the path to U.S. citizenship. A priest friend nicknamed the two “Rabble” and “Rouser.”

AUGUST

Astronaut, Apollo 13 Commander, Dies At 97 In Illinois

The American astronaut who commanded the Apollo 13 spacecraft on its lunar journey in 1970, James A. Lovell Jr., passed away in Lake Forest at 97 years old. The Apollo 13 mission is one of the most well-recognized U.S. space missions in history, behind John Glenn’s orbit of the Earth in 1962 and the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. The iconic voyage became the subject of a movie in 1995 starring Tom Hanks as Lovell.

SEPTEMBER

Former IL Gov. Jim Edgar Dies

Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar died in September at the age of 79. Edgar died from complications related to treatment for pancreatic cancer, his family said in a statement. He publicly disclosed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year. Edgar was governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999.

OCTOBER

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola Chicago's Beloved Chaplain, Dies At 106

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the chaplain for the men's basketball team at Loyola Chicago who became a beloved international celebrity during the school's fairy-tale run to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, died at the age of 106.

Celebrated Chicago Jazz Drummer Dies At 83

Jack DeJohnette, an acclaimed drummer, bandleader and composer, died at the age of 83. WGN reported the Chicago native worked with Miles Davis on his landmark 1970 fusion album and collaborated with Keith Jarrett and a vast array of other jazz greats.

NOVEMBER

Former Cub Who Played In Negro Leagues, Majors And Japan Dies At 92

George Altman, who played for the Cubs from 1959 to 1962, died at the age of 92, according to Major League Baseball. He is one of just three people ever to play in the Negro Leagues, AL/NL and Nippon Professional Baseball.

'Iconic' Chicago Radio Personality Dead At 70

Joe Colborn, better known to many as “JoBo” Bohannon of the "Eddie & JoBo" show, died. The pair teamed up at B96 in 1988, moved to Philadelphia briefly in the mid-1990s, and returned to the station, where they remained from 1996 until late 2008, according to B96.

Visitation, Mass Set For Sr. JoAnn Persch, Beloved Sister Of Mercy, Immigrant Advocate

As recently as a few weeks before her death Sr. JoAnn Persch, 91, was protesting outside the Broadview ICE facility, hoping to give holy communion to the detainees inside. The elderly nun also helped a homeless Venezuelan family find housing after they were found living in their car. She was a tireless fighter for immigrants, unhoused women and children, lonely and abandoned seniors, the incarcerated, and other marginalized communities.

DECEMBER

Former Buffalo Grove Village President Sussman Dies At 83

Beverly Sussman, a former Buffalo Grove Village President and educator, died at the age of 83. Sussman, who was first elected to the Buffalo Grove Village Board as a trustee in 2009, served two terms as village president from 2015 to 2023.