David Lee Cole

David Lee Cole, 78, of Chicago, Illinois, died at his home on Monday, February 16, 2026, surrounded by his family.

David was born in 1947, to Lt. Colonel Edward Howard Cole, Jr. and Leta Joy Hopkins. He spent his early childhood days in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he fished and played outdoors with his cousins in the summers, followed by a move to Jacksonville, Florida. He then attended high school in Germany on the USAG Stuttgart base, before returning to the States to attend and graduate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

After putting himself through college, David began an illustrious business career defined by an insatiable hunger for greatness. Starting at Ford Motor Credit in 1972, he joined Aon Corporation shortly after in 1976. In 1989, he relocated to the United Kingdom to assume the position of President of Ryan Insurance Group Europe and of London General Insurance Company, Ltd., Aon's principal property and casualty company serving the European market. When fondly recounting his career, David always credited this move for his later successes.

In 1993, he returned to the United States to take on the role of Chairman, President and CEO of Aon's property and casualty company and soon after formed the Aon Warranty Group, an internationally focused, extended warranty business. In 2006, the company was acquired by Onex Corporation and renamed The Warranty Group. David remained their fearless and loyal leader until his retirement in 2012.

Throughout his career, David was recognized for combining deep operational knowledge with disciplined executive leadership and an unparalleled work ethic. He was widely respected for his ability to bridge the interests of insurers, dealers, manufacturers, and consumers, and for building scalable institutions grounded in regulatory rigor and customer trust. His legacy is reflected in the global platforms he developed and the generation of industry leaders he mentored. He is remembered as one of the prime movers of today's international warranty and service-contract industry.

Not only was David an expert on risk and reward in his career, but also in his personal life. Within ten days of their first meeting on a blind date, David knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Colleen. They married nine months later and spent 42 years building David's most remarkable achievement, the family they created with their four children, their spouses and their five grandchildren. David's years in retirement were filled with beautiful travels around the world with family and friends, boating around Lake Michigan, playing an active role as the world's best Papa, and late nights playing cards in their home in South Carolina.

David is survived by his wife Colleen; his four children; Christopher Edward (Brieanna) Cole; Elizabeth Claire (Norman) Olsen; Kathryne Connor Cole; Carroll Kennedy Cole. Grandchildren; Clark Lyons Cole, Ella Claire Cole; Lily Elizabeth Olsen, Quinn Kennedy Olsen, Emma Raine Olsen. Siblings; Deborah Kay Zell; Lucille Cole Bradshaw. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lt. Colonel Edward Howard Cole, Jr. and Leta Joy Hopkins; his stepmother, Amandra Florine Cole; his sisters, Sylvia Jean Larson and Cynthia Jo Cole.

Visitation Thursday, February 19, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church, 1424 N. Dearborn Parkway, Chicago, Illinois 60610. Funeral Friday, February 20, 2026, at St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church, 1424 N. Dearborn Parkway, Chicago, Illinois 60610 at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Breakthrough Board, a purpose-driven board with over 70 years of dedication to raising funds in support of breakthroughs in cancer research at UChicago Medicine. While it was a short battle, David approached his cancer diagnosis and treatment head on, as he did with everything in life. His team at UChicago not only provided hope and excellent treatment, but their thoughtful approach provided comfort for both David and his family.

The Breakthrough Board invests in research programs with high potential to nurture discovery across a spectrum of innovation in cancer prevention, diagnostics, and treatment. It is the family's hope that through donation and research others can benefit from David's legacy in years to come. Gifts can be made online by visiting https://www.cancerresearchfdn.org/cole/.

For further information please call Michalik Funeral Home at 312-421-0936.