STAHL, LOWELL
Lowell I. Stahl
Lowell I. Stahl, a resident of Northbrook, IL and Juno Beach/Jupiter, FL passed away on January 20, 2023 at the age of 89.
Stahl was born on December 5, 1933, during the height of the Great Depression, and was raised by his mother, Elinor S. Ryfeldt, on the near north side of Chicago. After graduating from Saint Patrick High School as President of his class, he was a proud servant in the Korean War.
Stahl acquired J. J, Schmidt, an insurance and real estate brokerage company, in the late 1950’s, and in 1974 opened the first real estate franchise office in the Chicago area, and from that Stahl became the pioneer of real estate franchising in the Midwest, starting Century 21 of Northern Illinois. At the time of its sale, Centrury 21 Northern Illinois had over 700 franchise offices operating in 7 states. He then moved on to banking where he transformed a traditional “mutual” savings and loan institution to a local banking leader. Most recently, Stahl served as Owner and Chairman of PFS Financial, LLC. His legacy lives on through the establishment of the Lowell I. Stahl Cultural Centre and Stahl Family Theater of Saint Patrick High School, as well as the Lowell Stahl Center for Entrepreneurship & Real Estate of Lewis University.
Lowell Stahl’s life was a true, living example of the words he lived by - “Whatever You Do, Do What You Love”. Stahl enjoyed the sport of fishing and golf immensely, but, his greatest hobby was hard work, sacrifice and dedication. Stahl is the cherished father of Jeffrey (Patricia) Stahl and Suzanne (Tim) Braley and devoted grandfather of James (Jay), Mackenzie, Karlee, Blaine, Madison, Christopher, Gina and Elizabeth. He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy A. Stahl, in 2006, after a marriage that lasted 51 years.
There will be a celebration of Lowell’s life to occur at a date and time to be announced. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Stahl Family Charitable Foundation, a 501(c) 3 organization, to help fund medical research, 600 Andrew Lane, Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047.
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