Park District Mourns Death of Terry Juliar

Information provided by Wilmette Park District.

Terry M. Juliar, general manager for both the Wilmette Park District’s and , passed away Monday. Juliar, 64, also served as the Park District’s Risk Manager. He had worked for the Park District for 38 years.

Hired in 1974 to be the manager of the Ice Rinks, Juliar was the only manager of the rinks since that time. Just this last weekend, his dedication to the ice rinks, its patrons and his staff had been acknowledged at the 36^th annual Spring Ice Show. 

“The Park District is deeply saddened by the death of Terry Juliar,” said Executive Director Steve Wilson. “Terry was a diligent and dedicated public servant whose oversight of the day to day operations of both Centennial Ice Rinks and the Family Aquatic Center helped insure that our residents and out of town visitors experienced excellent services at these widely used facilities,” Wilson added.

“Terry’s management expertise will be greatly missed by the Park District,” said Jim Brault, president of the Board of Park Commissioners. “He navigated a changing landscape of programming needs over the years while balancing increasing demands for a variety of facility rentals.”

During his tenure, thousands of children and adults took part in figure skating and hockey instruction, public skating and special events including hockey tournaments, competitive figure skating and the annual ice show.

Juliar played an important role with the staff and community in gaining approval of a referendum that allowed the Park District to reconstruct the Centennial pool facility in the early 2000s. Now known as the Centennial Family Aquatic Center, the pools were designed to accommodate the growing desires of the young families who now enjoy the many options offered at the outdoor facility.

Juliar is survived by his wife, Carla, also a park district employee, and their daughter, Jackie. Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 17, from 5 – 8 p.m. at Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N. Cemetery Rd., Gurnee. Visitation will also be held Friday, May 18, beginning at 10 a.m. until the funeral service which will begin at 11 a.m.