Douglas Laton Hoeft

Douglas Laton Hoeft of Elgin Funeral services for Douglas Laton Hoeft, 60, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 340 Grand Blvd., Elgin, with the Rev. Paul Hayes presiding. Born May 26, 1942, in Rochester, Minn., the son of William Frank and Janet (nee Smith) Hoeft, he died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where he was undergoing rehabilitation after a recent illness. Mr. Hoeft spent most of his childhood in New York but had lived in Elgin the past 35 years. He graduated from Denison University in Grandville, Ohio, in 1964, and received his master's degree in education from Northwestern University in Evanston, and his doctorate in education administration from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. He taught in the Chicago Public School System one year before taking a job as a social studies teacher at Elgin High School, where he taught from 1965 to 1975. In 1975, he became assistant regional superintendent of schools for Kane County. He was elected as regional superintendent in 1987 and was elected president of the regional superintendents for the state of Illinois for two terms. In 1992, Mr. Hoeft was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served the next decade. He was re-elected by an overwhelming majority in the fall of 2002 election, after receiving endorsements from the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club, Township Officials of Illinois, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Illinois School Management Association, Kane County Farm Bureau and the Mexican American Political Action Committee. Despite his illness, Doug was recovering and was looking forward to serving his sixth term as representative of the newly-created 43rd House District. As a legislator, he served as minority spokesman for the Personnel and Pension Committee and vice spokesperson for the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. He also served on the Commerce and Business Development Committee, Prison Management Committee, Election and Campaign Committee and the Disabled Community Committee. Doug was also very active locally, serving on the Kane County DUI Task Force, the Elgin Area Private Industry Council, the Criminal Justice Commission, Citizen Advisory Council for the Department of Children and Family Services and on former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar's Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Task Force. In Elgin, he served as vice president of the Elgin Well Child Conference, secretary of the Elgin Family Service Association, chairperson of the Elgin Community College Human Services Committee, chairperson of the Elgin Adult Education Planning Council and as superintendent of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church School. He was also on the board of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and had served as chairman of the Elgin Township Republicans. He was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth "Libby" Hoeft (nee Bayless), whom he married in 1964, in Dayton, Ohio; son, Brian Douglas of New York; daughter, Amy Elizabeth (Eric) Saylor of Ann Arbor, Mich.; father, William Fran Hoeft of Vero Beach, Fla.; brothers, William Frederick (Lyra) Hoeft of Plant City, Fla., and Bruce (Kay) Hoeft of Ann Arbor; sister, Nancy (Richard) Eales of Malvern, Penn.; several nieces and nephews; and his grandnieces and grandnephews. He was preceded in death by his mother. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. today, at the Laird Funeral Home, 310 S. State St., Elgin. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials in Doug's name be made to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, the Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS) organization or the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Friends may visit www.dailyherald.com/obits to express condolences and sign the guest book. For funeral information, (847)741-8800.