Category: Featured Legacies

William (Bill) Joseph Snider died June 20, 2023, at age 62 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Bill grew up in the small Ohio town of Litchfield. He called himself a NASA baby, as his parents met working for NASA. He shared fond memories of his father creating intricate model airplanes and flying them on the weekends with friends. Bill found comfort early on in books and took to reading incessantly for the rest of his life.
Bill made his journey across the country to study Economics at Occidental College in Southern California. He spoke fondly of his introduction to fresh foods in the cafeteria that opened his world to the joys of flavor. While in school, he took trips with a friend to Tijuana to build houses for those without. He even took a creative writing class with the then future president Barack Obama when Bill just knew him as “Barry”.

After college, Bill found work in the area setting up and maintaining the Grand Prix equestrian jumping standards. He then got a bit more serious and earned a Master’s Degree in Journalism at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois.

Bill focused his writing career on K-12 education. He wrote for Education Week with his best friend, Blake Rodman, while they lived together in Washington D.C.

He was introduced to his former wife, B. Ann Matthews, at Kramer Books & Afterwords Cafe through their beloved late friend and chef, Damien. Bill and Ann married in North Carolina, where Ann was from, in the summer of 1990.
They later moved to San Francisco where Bill worked his way up to becoming the editor of Edutopia, published by the George Lucas Education Foundation.

The couple next moved to Greensboro, N.C., where in 1996 their daughter, Roxanne, was born. From that point on, she was the light of Bill’s life.

A lifelong passion for food led Bill to switch career paths. He taught himself how to bake artisan breads, hoping to fill a gaping hole in the local biscuit and cornbread cuisine. He liked to say that baking cured his habits of procrastination and being easily distracted.
Bill and Ann opened Simple Kneads Bakery in 2001. The bakery was beloved by many. The Asiago Peppercorn bread was a favorite, although some would argue the olive bread was better.
Ten years ago, he met his love, Margaret McEnally, who allowed him to share her life. They created a loving home together with her young daughter, Leslie, which brought Bill great comfort and joy.
Bill enjoyed watching golf on TV and said it was the perfect background for taking naps.

During his last days, his daughter, Roxanne, who he said was his greatest legacy, asked him if he had any advice. He responded: “keep it balanced” and “love is the most important thing.”
In his final FaceBook post, he wrote, “Here’s the secret to a happy life: ‘Accept what you cannot change and be grateful for every little thing.'”
He is predeceased by his brother Steven James Snider and survived by his daughter, Roxanne Snider, longtime partner, Margaret McEnally, and step-daughter, Leslie Rudd, as well as his siblings Patricia Lorene Humphress, Diane Elaine Snider, and Michael Edward Snider.

Jay Francis Cook, of Lithia, Florida passed away on June 12, 2023. He was surrounded by family and his loving wife of 8 years, Nancy, holding his hand. Born in Flushing, NY and grew up in Oyster Bay, NY, Jay graduated from Northwestern University with a Journalism degree and then went on to Indiana University School of Law to earn his Doctorate of Jurisprudence; practicing real estate law when he joined Dorsey & Whitney LLP in 1973 and became a partner in the firm in 1979 until 2007 when he moved to Naples, FL where he continued to practice law until he passed. Jay’s memory will be cherished by his wife, Nancy; son, Christopher; stepdaughters, Laurie (Alan) and Leslie; six grandchildren, Camden, Lukas, Noah, Jude, Mason, and Mila; his siblings, Bruce (Anne), Ann (Paul), Peter, Barbara (Dennis) and many nieces and nephews. Jay is predeceased by his parents: Frank G Cook and Adrienne M (Weiss). Jay enjoyed traveling with Nancy, playing golf and most of all loved spending time with his family and friends.

https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000461353/

Justine was an avid sports fan, she closely followed the White Sox, college basketball, the Bulls and anything on ESPN.  Most recently she volunteered at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in the gift shop and enjoyed developing relationships with patients and their families.  She had a particular interest in journalism and fondly remembered her college days at Northwestern University where she met her husband.  She was very grateful in her later years for the caring assistance provided by neighbors and family friends.  She enjoyed the constant companionship of many cats, most recently her orange tabby Polly, who was with her when she passed away.
She is survived by her sons, Steven (Elise) Fleming of Denver, CO and Vincent (Elisabeth) Fleming of Reno, NV. Also sister Theresa (Robert) Krahl and niece Tracy (Andy) Desmedt.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald Kingsley Fleming.

Obituary

John Czarobski was tragically struck and killed by a car Jan. 24, 2023 in Portland, Ore. Originally hailing from Chicago’s south side, John was the fifth child of Edward And Louise.
John studied journalism at Marquette University and then later received an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg school of business. He settled into a successful career in the Chicago ad industry. Notably, the latter portion of his work life was dedicated to assisting civic integration of renewable energy capabilities while minimizing consumption. John proudly played a key role in the development of “Project Footprint,” a branding campaign associated with Hawaii’s laudable efforts to go fully renewable by 2045.
John was a drummer in several rock and roll bands, an experienced sailor having navigated rocks and reefs and many a foul weather system to earn frivolity on foreign shores. He was perhaps the world’s most avid Bruce Springsteen fan having found a lifetime of wisdoms buried in the Boss’ life of accumulated works.
John leaves behind his daughter, Grace; his brother, Art and spouse, Kerry; his sister, Teresa and spouse, Denny; sisters-in-law, Annette and Maria; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his father, Edward; his mother, Louise; and his brothers, Edward and Gerald. John also leaves innumerable friends and associates that have been forever touched personally and professionally by his easy humor, his patient, soulful and nurturing optimism or his organized and steady hand as boardroom leader or mentor.
In later life John consciously eschewed the trappings of material accumulation and chose instead to invest his resources in expansive life experience via travel and adventure. His home was found with folders full of thoughts, poems and song lyrics scribbled in parallel with marketing concepts and outreach ideas. One such scribble: “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy then an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to greet a new and different sun.”

Obituary

Louis John Wolter, PhD, professor emeritus at Drake University, age 93, died suddenly while vacationing in Florida on February 22, 2023. Louis was born in Western Springs, Illinois, to Louis Edward Wolter and Ottilie L. Wolter on November 27, 1929. Immediately after high school, he served in the United States Air Force for four years as a crew member on a B-36 bomber. He received his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University, where he also received his Masters of Science in Journalism. At the University of Iowa he received his doctorate. He taught advertising, public relations, and mass communications for 26 years at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he was the university’s first director of marketing. He was most passionate about mentoring and advising his many students. In addition, he was President of Directions, Inc., a marketing research firm. He served on the board of Advertising Professionals of Des Moines, Generations, Inc., and Planned Parenthood. He advised a multitude of community and state government organizations about their communications outreaches. Lou was a wonderful motivational speaker, traveling nationally to speak on public relations, primarily for health care organizations. In 2011, he coauthored a book with Robert Wohl, Navigating Organizations Through the Twenty-First Century; A Metaphor for Leadership. He and Carolyn spent many happy years in New Mexico and Florida after his retirement. Lou loved life, family, friends, and his dogs. His favorite pastime was spending time on sailboats, including one he built himself. He had an incredible zest for life. He was often referred to as the “energizer bunny.” He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Lumbard; his children, Melissa (Kekoa) Paulsen, Jon (Lori) Wolter, and Chris Wolter; and their mother, Mary Wolter; his stepchildren, Lisa Severino and Brian (Kathie) Lumbard; grandchildren, Amanda, Christian, Alex, Ben, Katie, Kenley and Brittan; five great grandchildren; and his brother, Kurt (Celeste) Wolter. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Iowa PBS, World Central Kitchen, or Drake University School of Journalism.

Desmoines Register