Weeks, William Walter
William Walter Weeks passed away suddenly on June 29, 2020. “Bill” was a lifelong resident of Chicago and preceded in death by his father, Walter H Weeks and mother, Louise J Weeks (Devlin). Beloved brother of Victoria C Weeks of Savannah, Georgia, Ronald B Weeks of Des Plaines, Illinois and Patricia A WeeksStork of Frankfort, Illinois. Fond uncle of Nicole, Brian and Matthew Weeks. Great-uncle to six. Dear friend and colleague to countless others. Bill received a Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and Master’s degree from Florida State University. He worked in the Chicago Public School system for 25 years, as a teacher, dean of students, and always an educator. He was instrumental in establishing Service Learning Programs and created monthly environmental service learning treks for his students to area wetlands and historic neighborhoods “Mr. Weeks” was much loved by students and respected by colleagues. Throughout his life, Bill was a passionate activist for the LGBTQ community. He was a past Director of Horizons Youth Services, and facilitated LGBTQ programs and plans for the Illinois Chapter of the ACLU. Besides his service on the board of the Chicago chapter of the Gay Alliance Against Defamation, he served for ten years as the Political Liaison in Chicago with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), For six of those years, Bill served on HRC’s National Board of Governors. Following his service at HRC, Bill served on the board of The Civil Rights Agenda. He gave generously of his time for the rights of all, and not only talked the talk, but literally walked the walk. His life was about service to others. Bill was dedicated to advancing equality for the LGBTQ+ community and lobbied tirelessly to local, state and national representatives to advance the call for equality. He advocated for the marriage initiative in Illinois, the repeal of DADT and for countless hate crimes and employment protections legislation. Bill volunteered his time to support numerous political campaigns, including both of President Obama’s elections, Hilary Clinton, Jan Schakowsky, and Tammy
Duckworth. A world traveler, he never let a school break or summer vacation go by without exploring somewhere new. He had a National Parks “Passport” with a goal of visiting them all.
He was wicked smart, empathetic, big-hearted, and had a wonderful sense of humor. Bill appreciated and accepted everyone he encountered for who they were, never passing judgement and making everyone he met feel valued. A considerate, unselfish, loving man, he truly was one of a kind. A celebration of his life will be held at a future date. Donations in his memory can be made to:
The Field Museum
1400 S Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago IL 60605
Fieldmuseum.org
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20036 hrcchicago.org
Mikva Challenge
200 S Michigan Ave
Chicago IL 606004 mikvachallenge.org
Sign Guest Book at legacy.suntimes.com