North Shore Death Notices: Week of May 2 - May 8

The following death notices were added to funeral homes serving the North Shore area in the past week. Those homes have provided obituaries for some of those that have passed away recently. Links to those obituaries and notices of upcoming services have been provided below.

Donnellan Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie

Wanda A. Kedzorski, 95, Skokie

Frank R. Spata, 78, Buffalo Grove
Service May 9

Katharina Dama Slobada, 87, Wilmette

Gail Linder Gerken, 98

Catherine "Cathy" Rollings née Fox, 61, Wilmette

Haben Funeral Home, 8057 Niles Center Road in Skokie

Anton Herrhof, 91, Chicago
Service May 13

Lew Oryszczuk, 67, Chicago

Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie

Samuel Weisbard, 94
Service May 11

Matthew "Larry" Fink, 74
Service May 11

Shirley Waxman née Gottfried, 95
Service May 9

Robert Weisz, 95
Service May 9

Rita Diamond
Service May 9

Dorothy Zuckert, 84, Evanston

Frances Friedman, 93, Northbrook

Ruth Wendy Stempel, 56

Samuel Kohn, 95

Barbara L. Baum née Barron, 77

Lore Ann Prager née Seligman, 95

Barry Feldman, 77

Sussman Rubin, 97

Diane Warshawsky, 89

Edith "Edie" Levsky, 81

Ida Tsinman, 97

Kelley & Spalding Funeral Home, 1787 Deerfield Road in Highland Park

Loraine A. Rogan née Koke, 100, Highland Park
Visitation and Service May 9

Verne H. Mason, 91, Deerfield
Service May 10

Charles A. Van Eeckhout, 81, Deerfield

Joanne M. Kennedy née Conenna, 61, Glenview

Featured Obituary:

Charles S. Lauer, a magazine publisher, columnist, public speaker and mentor to generations of healthcare leaders across the U.S., died Sunday at age 86 from complications of leukemia. He had lived for decades in Winnetka.

Known universally as Chuck, Mr. Lauer was for more than 30 years the publisher of Modern Healthcare magazine, taking it from a money-losing monthly publication to the leading healthcare business weekly, frequently cited as the “Bible of healthcare business news.”

Mr. Lauer was a fervent supporter of his newsroom, and spoke often of the need for the separation of “church and state,” meaning editorial was king and advertising was there to support it, with profit resulting from great journalism. He represented Modern Healthcare at hundreds of events, giving countless speeches, hosting panel discussions on the state of the industry and becoming friends with almost everyone in healthcare business and medicine.

Those relationships informed his weekly column, read each week by thousands of senior executives of America’s healthcare institutions. He used anecdotes from his experiences to make larger points about the subjects of his passions – personal and business ethics, the importance of community, treating customers with dignity and respect, good manners and the need for healthcare to modernize its operations to keep pace with other industries.

He also found the time to write three books – “Soar with the Eagles,” “Reach for the Stars” and “Decency” – in which he shared his vision of the qualities that define personal and professional success, using stories from everyday life to illustrate his messages.

After retiring from Crain Communications, publisher of Modern Healthcare, in 2007, he turned to a second full-time career that included writing a column and hosting events for Becker’s Healthcare in Chicago. He joined the board of many companies and continued to make presentations to audiences across the United States. His speeches ranged from health reform to freewheeling discussions of ethical business behavior and rousing motivational talks to sales forces. He worked even after receiving a diagnosis of cancer last year.

A walk down a hallway with Mr. Lauer at any healthcare event was like accompanying a rock star. Invariably, he would be stopped by someone who had read a column that had a profound effect on their lives. He wrote often of the value of a sense of humor and was quick to laughter, even at his own expense.

Chuck Lauer received his BA from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1952. He served in the United States Army as a corporal during the Korean War and continued his postgraduate education at the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Ill.

A proud promoter of the profession of selling, Lauer's career includes early success as a retail representative for Life magazine and drug merchandising manager of Look. He served as Midwest sales manager for two McGraw-Hill trade publications from 1957-59 and then spent the next 12 years at the American Medical Association, where he served as general sales manager for all publications, including JAMA. Later, he became the AMA's director of communications, leading a staff of more than 140 editors, writers and public relations staff.

From 1972-76 Lauer held senior executive positions at Petersen Publishing and Family Media, Inc. In the latter post, he oversaw publication of Family Health, Weight Watchers and Brides magazines. In 1976 he was recruited away from Family Media by Rance Crain, president of Crain Communications, to run the then moribund Modern Healthcare.

Active in his hometown, he was president of the Dads Club at New Trier West High School. He was also a passionate ice hockey player, playing into his late 60s as a founder of the On Tyme Hockey group, a senior men's hockey team that 35 years later is under the tutelage of his son Randy. He was president of the Winnetka Hockey Club and a founder of the Winnetka Ice Rink.

He has been presented with numerous awards over the years for his achievements. They include:

• The 2004 American Institute of Architects' Academy of Architecture for Health's Michael E. DeBakey Award for Achievement in Healthcare (previous winners had included Jonas Salk and C. Everett Koop).
• The National Healthcare Award from B'nai B'rith International.
• Special Recognition Award from the Federation of American Hospitals, "In recognition of his outstanding leadership, boundless energy, unfailing commitment and remarkable dedication to health care and the nation’s private hospitals."
• Honorary Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

In addition to his son (and daughter-in-law Wendi), Mr. Lauer is survived by his wife of 58 years, Maggie Lauer, by daughter Kathy Van Treeck (husband Gerry) and by eight grandchildren.

A visitation will be held at Donnellan Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Blvd. at Old Orchard Road, Skokie, Ill., May 25th, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Funeral services will be conducted at the Winnetka Presbyterian Church, 1255 Willow Road, Winnetka, Ill., Friday, May 26th at 10:30 a.m.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.