William Dodge Kerr, Jr.

William Dodge Kerr, Jr. passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 11th at his home in Evanston, IL. Bill was born in Chicago on May 4th, 1934 to William Dodge Kerr and Laura Nowak Kerr. He was raised in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago and attended the Harvard School for Boys.

One of the defining moments of Bill's life was when he was diagnosed with polio at the start of his senior year in high school. Miraculously, he survived this life-threatening disease, which left him with a host of physical challenges, but also inspired him to become a doctor. After graduating from Williams College where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity, Bill attended medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He pursued further training in Strasbourg, France, Chapel Hill, NC, and Miami, FL before settling back in Illinois. He had a long and remarkable career at Evanston Hospital where he spent more than fifty years practicing medicine as an internist and endocrinologist, mentoring other doctors, teaching residents, and providing compassionate care to countless patients. He also served as a physician to the residents of Mather Place in Wilmette for decades.

Bill was a passionate sports enthusiast and followed his teams religiously. Growing up on the South Side he was a lifelong Bears and White Sox fan, but cheered for the Cubs in later years, too. He had season tickets to Northwestern Wildcats Football and enjoyed attending tailgates and games, which took place down the street from his medical practice. He was a long-time member of Skokie Country Club where he could often be found on the tennis courts. Over the years, he lived in Glencoe, Winnetka, and Evanston and he cultivated friendships in each of these communities.

Always a lifelong learner, Bill was a dedicated member of the Chicago Literary Club, a loyal daily reader of the Chicago Tribune, and a subscriber to numerous medical journals. An accomplished poet, he always crafted a unique poem for every family member's birthday and preferred a hand-written poem himself over any other gift. Bill always searched for beauty in the world and sought out opportunities to appreciate art in its many forms. He was an avid gardener and loved music including the symphony, Broadway musicals, and live performances of all kinds.

Above all, Bill loved his family and relished his role as patriarch of the Kerr clan. Bill is survived by his wife of twenty years Ausrine Kerr, his sisters Nancy Carroll and Gwyn Erwin, his sister-in-law Liuda (Shawn) Quinn, his children William (Kathryn) Kerr, Kendra (John) Olvany, Jeffrey (Audrey) Kerr, Katie (Patrick) Clarke, Laura (Brett) Gardiner, Paul (Lina Maciulyte) Sipas Kerr, and Monika Sipaite Kerr, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Bill adored his grandchildren and had a special relationship with each one: Will (Maria), Caroline (Parker Brown), and Daniel (Sheena) Kerr; Sean (Alexa), Connor (Marlies Woods), Claire (Jon Soifer), and Kelly Olvany; Nicholas (Kathryn), Charlotte (fiancé Carson Bac), and Hadley Kerr; Charlie, Cartan, and Tyler Clarke; Griffin, Whitton, Riley, and Tessa Gardiner; Sophia, Olivia, and Kornelia Sipaite.

He treasured his newest role as great-grandfather to Eleanor, Wells, Isola, William, Finn, Violet, Armand, and Ferris.

In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his first wife Susan Dee Kerr, his sister Jacqueline Kerr Dye, and his brother-in-law William Erwin.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, December 5th at 2 p.m. at the Glencoe Union Church in Glencoe, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the "William D. Kerr Jr., MD, Fund of Endocrinology Education and Innovation" at the NorthShore University HealthSystem Foundation (http://foundation.northshore.org/kerrtribute or 1001 University Place, Suite 248, Evanston, IL 60201), Glencoe Union Church (263 Park Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022), or The Licorice Project (https://www.thelicoriceproject.com/william-d-kerr-jr/ or P.O. Box 813, Wilmette, IL 60091).