Ulrich Frederick Danckers

Ulrich was born on December 20, 1928, in Jinotega, Nicaragua to Hugo and Margarete (Reese) Danckers. After his mother's untimely death, he was brought back to Germany and raised by his aunt, Marie Reese. Upon completing medical school and following an internship in New Jersey, he again returned to Germany and there met and married the love of his life, Rose Wczulek, in 1956. They emigrated shortly thereafter to the US, where he completed his residency in Radiology. They settled in Illinois, first in Evanston, then River Forest, and eventually in Lake Forest. He served as head of Medical Imaging at Westlake Hospital for 30+ years, as president of the Chicago Medical Society, and as a delegate to the Illinois State Medical Society in which role he was a staunch advocate for end-of-life autonomy.

First and foremost, however, Ulrich was a husband, father and grandfather whose love of life and wide-ranging interests enriched all those near him. Curiosity, ingenuity, persistence and fearlessness led him to an endless number of hobbies in which he excelled, from metal- and woodworking, cabinetry, stained glass, photography, bookbinding and collecting (stamps, beetles, cowries, fossils, and antique books and maps), to sailing (as skipper of his 10 meter sloop the Andale), to historical research and authorship of his book Early Chicago, and to the aggregation of many, many pets ... among them tropical fish, a cat, an indigo snake, a guinea pig, ducks, parakeets, a toucan and a tarantula.

Nature and foreign culture always held a special fascination for Ulrich, and led him to travels near and far (most of it with family in tow) including expeditions in the Galapagos Islands, trips to the Colorado Rockies for mushroom conferences, vacations to the Boundary Waters and Bahamas and Europe, and many a happy hour at Illinois Beach State Park and the local forest preserve. The treasures he created and gathered, and the sharing of his passion for learning and exploration, opened our eyes to the wonders of this world. And all this he did with a quiet humility and practical nature that expressed itself in his choice of a VW Beetle and a Vespa scooter as transportation.

Ulrich is survived by his children, Andreas (Elyse), Stephan (Kitty), and Margarete; grandchildren Emily (Sebastian), Erika (Bryce), Annaliese (Danny), Natalie (James), Heidi, Matthew and Charles; and great-grandson Viggo. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Rose, and his parents, Hugo and Margarete.

Gifts in memory of Ulrich can be made to organizations he valued and supported, among which are included Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, and Compassion and Choices.