Christopher Ainsley Skokie, Illinois Obituary

Christopher Ainsley

Christopher Julian Dimitri Ainsley age 62 of Wilmette. He is survived by his beloved wife of 19 years, Mary Beth nee Phillips, their adoring daughters, Juliet and Lily, his daughter Philippa and Johan Warodell and son, Matthew, and grandchildren, Hugo and Lucy Warodell. He cherished his role as son, brother, uncle, godfather and was a wonderful friend to so many who relied on his wisdom and kind generosities. Christopher Ainsley opened his arms to everyone he met and enjoyed exploring small towns to big cities to countries around the world. Christopher, with his genteel British way, loved being a family man. He was a devoted friend and mentor, and a clever, successful businessman. A born leader with strong Christian values, he turned around many a company as Chief Executive Officer. He believed in his employees and supported his teams and colleagues in every way possible. Born in Oxfordshire, England to Peter and Brenda Ainsley, Christopher graduated from Charterhouse School and Christ Church, Oxford University where he was on the Rowing Team. He then received his Masters in Business at Harvard Business School. He began his career in consulting and later moved into management and executive roles. In particular, he was an enthusiastic CEO of ShopperTrak, a global company based in Chicago. The business grew with him at the helm and was acclaimed for its strong growth in a very competitive market. He was proud of his Board work in both domestic and international companies. In his last years, his contributions to Old St. Patrick’s Church and the Lyric Opera of Chicago gave him great satisfaction, as both had brought him so much happiness. Christopher was a voracious reader who loved trains, travel, geography, and all kinds of music and sports. His love of trains and steam trains started when he was a young boy in England. As a teen, he and a mate made it into the World Book of Records for the most miles covered on a train in seven days. He continued his love by collecting Model trains and investing in English Steam trains. He took up running after the age of 50 and completed 6 Chicago Marathons and finished under five hours twice. Christopher’s family delighted him. He loved just staying home - watching movies, having dinners with good conversation, and game nights with family and friends. He enjoyed being with his true love, Mary Beth, taking walks, exploring neighborhoods and learning new things, from gardening to theater. He was a proud father who loved each stage of his children’s lives - from 1st day of pre-school, middle school science Olympiads to their plays and concerts. He enjoyed every minute that he had with his children and loved each uniquely and unconditionally. He was a generous, spiritual soul who trusted God and worked to do his best in making the world a better, happier place, and like his patron Saint Christopher, he was kind across boundaries. Faced with Stage 4 Rectal Cancer, Christopher’s courageous spirit fought hard to contain the cancer. But, in the end, his body weakened but his spirit continued to be strong knowing that he gave it his best shot. A private funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2021, 10:00 a.m. at Old Saint Patrick's Church, Chicago, IL. To attend the Mass virtually, click <a href="https://vimeo.com/503915000/35d8eebd9b">HERE</a> Your gift in memory of Christopher Ainsley will assist in supporting any of these three organizations that were close to Christopher’s heart: Give in Memory of Christopher Ainsley - <a href="https://secure2.convio.net/nmhc/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20018a?idb=402564213&4248.donation=form1&DONATION_LEVEL_ID_SELECTED=1&df_id=4248&mfc_pref=T&NONCE_TOKEN=B1C0E365C93D53AE7E4283FF1E4F7F18&idb=0">Northwestern Memorial Foundation (convio.net)</a> <a href="https://pushpay.com/g/oldstpats">Old St. Patrick's Church</a> (Please select "In Memory of Christopher Ainsley" from the drop-down menu) <a href="https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/alumni/christopher-ainsley-memorial-fund">Christ Church, Oxford</a> <a href="https://www.americanfriendschch.org/">The USA American Friends</a> (Christopher's fund will be added to the drop down list for PayPal) <iframe class="ts_player" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameborder="0" height="330" scrolling="no" src="https://www.tributeslides.com/videos/embedded_video/M4BBRD5PB6HHJ5FH" width="512"></iframe>
August 8, 1958 - January 17, 202108/08/195801/17/2021
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Obituary

Christopher Julian Dimitri Ainsley age 62 of Wilmette. He is survived by his beloved wife of 19 years, Mary Beth nee Phillips, their adoring daughters, Juliet and Lily, his daughter Philippa and Johan Warodell and son, Matthew, and grandchildren, Hugo and Lucy Warodell. He cherished his role as son, brother, uncle, godfather and was a wonderful friend to so many who relied on his wisdom and kind generosities. Christopher Ainsley opened his arms to everyone he met and enjoyed exploring small towns to big cities to countries around the world. Christopher, with his genteel British way, loved being a family man. He was a devoted friend and mentor, and a clever, successful businessman. A born leader with strong Christian values, he turned around many a company as Chief Executive Officer. He believed in his employees and supported his teams and colleagues in every way possible. Born in Oxfordshire, England to Peter and Brenda Ainsley, Christopher graduated from Charterhouse School and Christ Church, Oxford University where he was on the Rowing Team. He then received his Masters in Business at Harvard Business School. He began his career in consulting and later moved into management and executive roles. In particular, he was an enthusiastic CEO of ShopperTrak, a global company based in Chicago. The business grew with him at the helm and was acclaimed for its strong growth in a very competitive market. He was proud of his Board work in both domestic and international companies. In his last years, his contributions to Old St. Patrick’s Church and the Lyric Opera of Chicago gave him great satisfaction, as both had brought him so much happiness. Christopher was a voracious reader who loved trains, travel, geography, and all kinds of music and sports. His love of trains and steam trains started when he was a young boy in England. As a teen, he and a mate made it into the World Book of Records for the most miles covered on a train in seven days. He continued his love by collecting Model trains and investing in English Steam trains. He took up running after the age of 50 and completed 6 Chicago Marathons and finished under five hours twice. Christopher’s family delighted him. He loved just staying home - watching movies, having dinners with good conversation, and game nights with family and friends. He enjoyed being with his true love, Mary Beth, taking walks, exploring neighborhoods and learning new things, from gardening to theater. He was a proud father who loved each stage of his children’s lives - from 1st day of pre-school, middle school science Olympiads to their plays and concerts. He enjoyed every minute that he had with his children and loved each uniquely and unconditionally. He was a generous, spiritual soul who trusted God and worked to do his best in making the world a better, happier place, and like his patron Saint Christopher, he was kind across boundaries. Faced with Stage 4 Rectal Cancer, Christopher’s courageous spirit fought hard to contain the cancer. But, in the end, his body weakened but his spirit continued to be strong knowing that he gave it his best shot. A private funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2021, 10:00 a.m. at Old Saint Patrick's Church, Chicago, IL. To attend the Mass virtually, click HERE Your gift in memory of Christopher Ainsley will assist in supporting any of these three organizations that were close to Christopher’s heart: Give in Memory of Christopher Ainsley - Northwestern Memorial Foundation (convio.net) Old St. Patrick's Church (Please select "In Memory of Christopher Ainsley" from the drop-down menu) Christ Church, Oxford The USA American Friends (Christopher's fund will be added to the drop down list for PayPal)

Events

Jan
23
Visitation
Saturday, January 23 2021
09:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Old Saint Patrick’s Church
700 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60661
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Jan
23
Funeral Mass
Saturday, January 23 2021
10:00 AM
Old Saint Patrick’s Church
700 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60661
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Live Webcast
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Final Resting Place
Saint Paul Cemetery
S Sturdy Road
Valparaiso, IN 46383
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Memorial Contributions

Christopher Ainsley Memorial Fund with Christ Church Oxford
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Northwestern Memorial Foundation for palliative care - Christopher Ainsley

Please make the check payable to "Northwestern Memorial Foundation" and include "Christopher Ainsley" in the memo line.

PO Box 734985, Chicago, IL 60673
833-443-8663
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Christopher Ainsley Memorial Fund at Old St. Patrick's Church
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