Lake Bluff Obituary: David McElvain

The following obituary is courtesy of Wenban Funeral Home.

David McElvain of Lake Bluff, Illinois died peacefully on July 17, 2015. Dave was born December 2, 1931 to Clifford and Grace McElvain in Chicago. He was pre-deceased by his parents, his brother, Joseph, his sister, Mary, and, in May of this year, his beloved wife of 57 years, Suzanne.

A true child of the South Side, Dave attended St. Brides, Mt. Carmel High School and Notre Dame (BBA 1953), where he served as Senior Class Secretary. After serving his country with honor on the USS Tanner, Dave worked at IBM (and, later, at Control Data n/k/a Ceridian) in sales and sales management while completing his MBA at the University of Chicago. It was at IBM where Dave met Suzanne, and together they raised their family in Flossmoor, Illinois, and Birmingham, Michigan. They returned to the Chicago area in 1987, settling in Lake Bluff, where Dave served as a Village Trustee and as co-founder of Concerned Citizens of Lake Bluff. He also served as director of Ada S McKinley Community Services, Inc. Dave loved aviation, golf without scorecards, and the Fighting Irish.

Dave lives on through his four children and ten grandchildren, each of whom have inherited aspects of his good humor, his curiosity, and his deep commitment to family and community service: Diane (Rick) Baer, Drew (Maggie) McElvain, Pete (Carol) McElvain, Joel (Alice O’Brien) McElvain, and grandchildren Alex, Ned, Caroline, Ellie, Eileen, Audrey, Charlie, Kevin, Teddy, and Stephen.

Visitation will be held at Wenban Funeral Home, 320 Vine Ave., Lake Forest, IL on Thursday, July 23, from 5pm to 8pm. A funeral mass will be held at the Church of St. Mary, 201 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL on Friday, July 24, at 10am. A reception lunch will follow. Private burial at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Northbrook. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dave’s name to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, 721 N LaSalle Street, Chicago IL 60654 or to Midwest Palliative & Hospice Care Center, 2050 Claire Court, Glenview, IL 60025. Info: Wenban Funeral Home, (847)234-0022 or www.wenbanfh.com