Christopher Horsch

1941 - 2020

Christopher Horsch, 79, of Chicago died at home on November 11 after a brief illness.

Chris was born to Paul and Madeline (Elkins) Horsch on July 6, 1941 in Indianapolis. His formative years were spent in Cleveland and Boardman, OH and Newnan, GA. Chris graduated from the University of the South in 1963, and Duke University Law School in 1966. From 1966 to 1969, he served in the US Navy as a Supply Officer aboard the USS Steinaker.

In 1970, Chris married Patricia DeLaney of Charlotte, NC, who he met and began dating when he was at Duke Law School and she was an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. They settled in Chicago, where Chris practiced as an attorney at Vedder Price for the better part of 20 years. From 1973 to 1974, they relocated to Berea, KY, where Chris was General Counsel of the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp, which provided economic opportunity for residents of southern and eastern Kentucky. In 1989, he became the first General Counsel of the South Shore Bank of Chicago, where he worked, incredibly fulfilled by the bank's mission to provide banking services and investment in underserved neighborhoods, until his retirement in 2009. In addition to his own legal work, Chris was an early advocate of law firms providing legal services for people in need. He served on the Board of the Public Interest Law Initiative since 1985, advocating for opportunities for law students and young lawyers to gain first-hand exposure to the enormous unmet legal needs in the community.

Chris loved music. He and Patty have been Chicago Symphony Orchestra subscribers since they moved to Chicago, and made a pilgrimage each spring to the University of Chicago for the annual Gilbert and Sullivan performance. Chris was a gifted tuba player, having attended the National Music Camp at Interlochen as a high school student. For the past 30 years, he hosted a brass and woodwind quintet at his home every week. The group played for the sheer joy of it, with occasional impromptu concerts in Lincoln Park during the summer. Chris was also a proud member of the Ravenswood Community Orchestra.

Chris also enjoyed family, friends, tennis, travel, a good biography, the Chicago Cubs, and the daily New York Times crossword puzzle. Inspired by the character Murray Burns from his favorite movie "A Thousand Clowns," he counseled those around him to "never miss the funny part."

In addition to Patty, his wife of 50 years, Chris is survived by his sister, Gretchen Simmons (Donald) of Crawford, MS; three children: John Horsch (Rachel) of Oakland, CA, Peter Horsch (Dina) of Denver, CO, and Kate McDaniel (Robert) of Denver, CO; five grandsons: Caleb and Noah Horsch, Owen Horsch, and David and Benjamin McDaniel; and five nieces and nephews.

Chris' family looks forward to a celebration of his life when conditions permit. The family encourages friends to consider a memorial gift to the Chris Horsch Honorary Internship at the Public Interest Law Initiative (105 West Madison Street, Suite 610, Chicago, IL 60602; https://pili.org/donate/).