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William Wendt
William (“Bill”) Frederick Wendt Jr., journalist, College of Complexes Orator, Henry Georgist and avid cyclist, died on December 8, 2020, at 7:25 AM at MADO Healthcare, located in the Uptown neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. At age 73, Bill was a handful for any social worker, nurse or alderman. Friends insist his sudden decline was hastened by being cut off from his social network, due to the pandemic restrictions. Proposed as a mayoral candidate against Mayor Daley in 2005, Bill Wendt was cheered on by his many friends at College of Complexes and fellow cyclists from Chicago’s annual Critical Mass Bike Ride. Bill was a serious transportation critic. Often seen handing out copies of his opinion pieces, he was delighted to engage in a spirited discussion or debate with anyone so inclined. "Bill Wendt was the first blogger; in the 1970s, he was always handing out essays on various topics," says Chuck Metalitz, President of Henry George School of Chicago. "Bill was the opposite of ‘go along to get along.’ Bill needed to do right as he saw it.” Bill frequently visited HGS’s Sam Venturella Memorial Library of Economics. He felt at home there. Despite battling dementia and difficulty with swallowing, a visitor of Bill’s would find him at home, listening to talk radio while dialing a cell phone and resting his head on a stack of economics books. Joyce Owusu, RN for most of Bill's fourteen years at MADO, says of Bill “He was very very intelligent, knowledgable about healthcare, and looked out for other residents. He always spoke up for his roommates, Hoe Tran and JJ.” Perhaps Steve Balkin, Professor Emeritus at Roosevelt University and Bill’s friend, best sums up Bill’s complex and colorful character in his observation: “I had very few sit- down conversations with Bill, They were always in-transit conversations as he was riding his bike somewhere or walking somewhere. And usually he was very angry at Chicago and the world but he had ideas how to make things right. I respect his frustration with the system and share his anger at what was done to old Maxwell Street and its people. I think that was his favorite neighborhood. When he stopped to talkto me, he always passed me some piece of paper, the latest schedule for College of Complexes, or minutes from a civic meeting on public transportation, or a lawsuit he was filing against the City or University of Illinois at Chicago. I shared with Bill the notion that it is important to fight for what you believe in. I will miss him and his activist energy.” Bill is survived by his favorite cat Mr. Oranges, who now resides at Pet Population Control in the Uptown neighborhood and is assured of a loving home for the rest of his life. Family members surviving Bill are his younger sister, Micki Wendt, who resides in Mexico, and his younger brother Tom Wendt of Portland, Oregon. Close friends and loyal caretakers who mourn Bill’s loss are Irene Marmi of Chicago, Illinois, Gerry Jaecks of Florida and the folks at College of Complexes, Chicago, Illinois. Visitation will be held at 10 AM--Noon on Tuesday, December 15, at Theis and Gorski Funeral Home, located at 3517 N. Pulaski Road in Chicago. The funeral procession to Maryhill Catholic Cemetery, located at 8600 N. Milwaukee Avenue, NIles, Illinois, will immediately follow the visitation. We ask that funeral attendees please arrange their own transportation. Donations may be made to: (earmark donation “In memory of William Wendt Jr.” Pet Population Control of Uptown 4828 North Kenmore Avenue #1N Chicago, IL 60649 Contact: Carol Stegall P 773.484.3514 Henry George School of Chicago hg chicago.orgP 312.362.9302 Caring Cremations Funeral Home P 773.866.22.73January 17, 1947 - December 8, 202001/17/194712/08/2020
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William Wendt
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