Frederick Axley

1941 - 2013

Frederick William Axley, 71, of Wilmette, passed away on March 18, 2013. Fred was born in Chicago on June 23, 1941 to the late Frederick and Ellen Axley. He was a graduate of Loyola Academy in Wilmette and The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA (Class of 1963). After service as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, he received his M.A. in English Literature from the U. of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966. In 1969 he received his law degree from the U. of Chicago, and was an attorney at McDermott, Will & Emery in Chicago for 34 years. Fred was a trusted mentor who brought his intellect and social conscience to many endeavors throughout his life. He served on the Board of Directors for a number of organizations, including Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), Friends of the Chicago River, and Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC). Fred was passionate about the out of doors and was equally at home hiking on a trail or sitting in a corporate board room. Fred is survived by his wife of 44 years, Cinda (nee Russell), two daughters, Sarah (Tim) Kendt and Betsy (John) Quail, and two precious granddaughters, Libby and Abby Quail. He is also survived by his sister, Judy (Eshwar) Noojibail, and five nieces and nephews. Our family will miss him terribly and we will always cherish the memories we have of him as our beloved husband, proud Dad and extra special Grandpa. A memorial Mass celebrating Fred's life will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, April 6, 2013, at St. Francis Xavier Church, 900 Linden Ave., Wilmette. In lieu flowers, Fred requested that memorial contributions be sent to: College of the Holy Cross General Scholarship Fund Development Office, 1 College Street Worcester, MA 01610. Friends of the Chicago River, 411 S. Wells Street, Suite 800 Chicago, IL 60607, or HODC PO Box 480, 2001 Waukegan Rd. Techny, IL 60082. Arrangements by Cremation Society of Illinois. Info 800-622-8358.