Arthur E. Dexter III

Arthur E. Dexter lll "Butch" or "Dexter" to many
Peacefully joined family and friends that went before him August 15th, 2024 at the age of 83 years.
Beloved father of the Late Arthur IV (Rosa,) Kenneth, Bradley (Karin) Scott (Karen) Patrick, Donna Dexter, Glenn (Lisa) and Sarah (Ricardo) Balistreri
Dearest brother of Bonnie (the late Ronald) Siems, the late Jerle "Jeri" Taylor, Roger (Dorothy) and Phyllis "Tooie" Fredericks.
Dexter is survived by countless grandchildren, umpteen great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. He is further survived by many nieces, nephews,cousins and many others in the "Dexter Clan".
Dexter leaves behind many wonderful and loyal friends, fellow artists, colleagues, cronies, a long list of special lady friends, and a lot of offended liberals.
He had insurmountable talent, an unapologetic sense of humor, quick wit, and never forgot a face or a name.
Born of tough Melrose Park stock with humble beginnings to the late Arthur and Phyllis (nee Pickett) September 11th, 1940.
As a teenager he self taught the art of pinstriping and hand lettering- proving himself to be an innovator of the craft. Per his brother Roger- at a young age he would have a line of cars out of the driveway waiting to be blessed by his brush- all this before graduating from Proviso East High school in 1958.
Dexter married his high school sweetheart Sandra Lee "Sandy" (nee Siddons). They went on to have 7 extraordinary children. Each inherited some sort of "Dexter trait" Whether it was artistic ability, witty humor, entrepreneurial spirit, graphic arts, hand-airbrushing, auto body craftsmanship, musical ability, strong work ethic, or athleticism.
His own entrepreneurial spirit led him to start his own pinstriping and hand lettering business in 1958. He also was the owner/ operator of Manor Lounge in Melrose Park. In 1973 he started Leisure and Recreational Products (LRP) in Lake Geneva, WI where he and his sons specialized in custom vans and other vehicles with hand-airbrushed designs and murals. At the same time he owned Artie's Chicago Style Restaurant - he brought the first burrito to Lake Geneva. In his typical tongue-in-cheek fashion "It's so big, you need 3 hands to hold it!" He resided in Williams Bay, WI and was a fixture in what would be considered the "heyday" of Lake Geneva in the 1970's. He was a regular at Popeye's and Hogs and Kisses where he would make signs, design art and paint holiday murals on the windows or whatever these businesses would commission him to do. He also did a lot of work for his long time friend Dana Montana who is a prominent business owner in that area. Dexter was also fond of the Playboy Club. He would enjoy dinners, comedy shows, and singers. He has many stories of rubbing elbows with various entertainers and bunnies. In true 70's fashion he met Mickey Cortesi when she brought in her 1976 Bi-Cenntenial Jeep Wrangler for body work and that union produced his youngest daughter in 1977.
Unfortunately good times come to an end. Poor government led to a recession in 1980. Businesses went belly up and there was slow economic growth. Dexter was not immune to the fallout. LRP, the restaurant, and even the Playboy Club were no more. Dexter was able to keep his home in William's Bay but had to go back to his roots to get back on top. He sold his precious Rolls Royce and bought a Yellow Volkswagen Rabbit.
He threw his brushes and paint kit in that yellow rabbit and went back to his roots. He had no shop or garage. This is how he built Dexter Sign Company. Once things got going he landed in Schaumburg, Il in 1980. He would remain in the Schaumburg industrial park area for decades. This is where he continued to do hand lettering, sign painting, magnet signs, vinyl signs, zoning signs, pinstriping, stock car lettering, for countless customers and businesses. His sons would also work with him at different intervals throughout this time. In the mid 2000's he moved Dexter Sign Company to Elgin, Il. He worked there with the help of his late son Artie until he officially retired in 2020.
The following was so wonderfully written by Stan Kalwasinski;
"Simply known as "Dexter" – he was perhaps the premiere motorsports graphics artist in the Chicagoland area. Beginning his craft when he was a teenager, Dexter began lettering area stock cars – especially most of the top-running entries at the old O'Hare Stadium in Schiller Park, Ill. It seemed like all the top runners had some of Dexter's 'magic' gracing their race cars. Stock cars, open-wheel racers, drag cars, racing boats, custom cars – it didn't matter as he applied his artistic abilities to all of them. Doing a little driving himself over the years, Dexter dreamt up the idea of Volkswagen racing at O'Hare Stadium in 1967. A member of the Chicago Brushmasters, a group of Chicago area sign artists, pin striping masters and hand-lettering experts, Dexter was the recipient of the organization's Frank H. Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Dexter was an inductee of the Illinois Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2020."
Thank you to all that have posted such wonderful tributes and pictures on social media. Feel free to post pictures or stories in the condolence section. A special thank you to the staff and residents at Bella Terra in Schaumburg for compassionate care and friendship.
We will truly miss this talented, complex, and remarkable man. We hope his work will continue to inspire artists.
INOVATOR. MENTOR. FRIEND
Visitation will be held Saturday, August 24, 11:00am - 2:30pm, with a funeral service beginning at 2:30pm at Michaels Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 800 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, Illinois.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution made to Art's family to support ongoing needs and honoring his memory.