Obituaries

Louise Lincoln was the founder and longtime director of DePaul's Art Museum from 1997-2014. (Family photo)

Louise Lincoln, longtime director of recently shuttered DePaul Art Museum, dies at 79

By Bob Goldsborough

October 28, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Over her 17-year tenure, Lincoln elevated the art museum's profile and oversaw major acquisitions and...

FILE – Susan Saint James attends the SNL50: The Anniversary Special in New York on Feb. 16, 2025. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Susan Saint James, Emmy-winning actor of ‘McMillan & Wife’ and ‘Kate & Allie,’ dies at 80

By Beth Harris

October 27, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Susan Saint James, who co-starred with Rock Hudson in the 1970s TV crime series “McMillan...

FILE - Walter Koenig appears at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, 2018. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Walter Koenig, Ensign Chekov on original ‘Star Trek’ series who was born in Chicago, dies at 90

By Jonathan Landrum

October 26, 2026 at 1:05 p.m.

Actor Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov, the youthful Russian navigator on the “Star...

Chicago painter Susan Michod. (Alec Michod)

Feminist painter Susan Michod, founding member of Chicago’s Artemisia Gallery, dies at 81

By Bob Goldsborough

September 18, 2026 at 1:51 p.m.

A champion of female and outsider artists, the longtime Lincoln Park resident was part of...

Activist Peter Ascoli at the historic Rosenwald building at 47th Street and Michigan Avenue on Oct. 25, 2002. Ascoli was a grandson of Sears, Roebuck and Co. President Julius Rosenwald. (Candice C. Cusic/baiduhai)

Peter Ascoli, academic and historian who carried on Sears philanthropy, dies at 84

By Bob Goldsborough

September 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The longtime Kenwood resident and scholar wrote a biography of his grandfather, Sears president and...

Bears fullback Matt Suhey rips off a large gain against the Lions on Nov 10, 1985, at Soldier Field. Suhey rushed for 102 yards in the 24-3 victory. (Charles Cherney/baiduhai)

Matt Suhey, whose ‘career spanned the Chicago Bears’ greatest decade,’ dies at 68

By Brad Biggs

September 7, 2026 at 12:16 p.m.

Former Chicago Bears fullback Matt Suhey, a big part of the team's success in the...

Patricia "Patsy" Thrash, Northwestern University’s final dean of women. (Mark Carlson)

Patricia Thrash, the final dean of women at Northwestern, dies at 97

By Bob Goldsborough

September 5, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Patricia Thrash, a longtime administrator at Northwestern University, died of pneumonia at 97 on Aug....

Pearl Rieger in an undated photo. (Nancy Halbeck)

Pearl Rieger, one of the cofounders of the Rush NeuroBehavioral Center, dies at 98

By Bob Goldsborough

September 5, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Pearl Rieger died of heart failure on July 23 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Gloria Steinem applauds with other supporters at the Godfrey Hotel during a re-election gathering for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Oct. 24, 2014. (Phil Velasquez/baiduhai)

Gloria Steinem, a potent voice of US feminism and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, dies at 92

By Jocelyn Noveck

September 3, 2026 at 8:06 a.m.

Gloria Steinem, the celebrated author and activist who became one of the most visible symbols...

FILE – Cassandra Wilson performs at the JVC Jazz Festival in Newport, R.I., on Aug. 10, 2003. (AP Photo/Stew Milne, File)

Cassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, has died

By Maria Sherman

September 2, 2026 at 4:01 p.m.

Cassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer has died. She was...

FILE – Author Wendell Berry talks with a reporter at his home in Port Royal, Ky., March 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke, File)

Wendell Berry, Kentucky-born author who advocated a simpler life, has died at 92

By Hillel Italie

September 1, 2026 at 9:06 a.m.

Wendell Berry, the Kentucky-born author and agrarian who in poems, stories, novels and essays celebrated...

Newsman Jim Ruddle worked for many years at WMAQ-Ch. 5. (NBC 5 Chicago)

Jim Ruddle, a newsman of ‘old school’ values and talent, dies at 94

By Rick Kogan

August 28, 2026 at 2:03 p.m.

Jim Ruddle may have vanished from local TV screens 40 years ago, leaving town to...

Charles "Chuck" Bowen on Nov. 28, 2003, at the Chicago Military Academy in Bronzeville. (Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhai)

Chuck Bowen, a key Daley liaison with Chicago’s Black community, dies at 92

By Bob Goldsborough

August 27, 2026 at 6:01 p.m.

Charles R. “Chuck” Bowen remained at City Hall throughout Richard M. Daley's time as mayor,...

News Obituaries