Duane Uselmann passed away peacefully on February 6th, 2020 in Park Ridge. He was born in Poynette Wisconsin on August 20th, 1935 to John and Frances (Keichinger) Uselmann, two hard-working Wisconsinites, both of whom grew up on their family's farms and passed down to Duane a tireless work ethic and resilient character. Duane and his two older siblings, Andrea and William shared their childhood home in Poynette with a family-run hospital, where babies were born, broken bones were mended, and surgical operations were performed. Duane learned from his parents the value of hard work, and determination at a young age.
He learned woodworking and construction skills from his father, and passed those skills on to hundreds of teens later in life as a high school Industrial Arts teacher. Duane participated actively in the Boy Scouts and rose through the ranks over the years to become an Eagle Scout, an accomplishment he was proud of. He was deeply proud of his Wisconsin roots and later in life bought a mobile home in Lodi, so his children and grandchildren could experience the natural beauty and small-town culture that he grew up with as a boy. Duane graduated from Poynette High school in 1953 and maintained a strong relationship with his high school friends whom he treasured. The "breakfast club" met monthly at Deforest Family Restaurant to eat breakfast, catch up, and enjoy one another's company.
Duane attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education. He moved to Chicago after graduation, and took a job at Marshall High School as an Industrial Arts teacher. He was very proud of his part in developing the Industrial Arts classes at Marshall into a thriving program. After a few years of teaching, Duane became the assistant principal at Marshall after impressing the administration team with his moral character and tireless work ethic. Duane went on to earn a master's degree in education at DePaul University, and later served as the assistant principal at Senn High School. Eventually Duane left Senn to work alongside Jim Schwarz at Omni Circuits Inc. as a founding member of the printed circuit board company.
About a year into Duane's teaching career, he met Therese "Terry" McKinley, a fellow Marshall HS teacher. They were both attending a high school basketball game, and Terry couldn't help but notice Duane loudly correcting the referee for much of the game. Duane and Terry struck up a romance and married on Thanksgiving Day of 1960. They had 5 beautiful children: Mary (the late Joe) Garcia, Fran Uselmann, Jean (Robert) Dalleska, Carolanne Reilly, and the late Patrick Uselmann. Some of Duane's most cherished memories with his kids included their cross-country road trips in the travel trailer, coaching and attending their sporting events, and later helping them buy and remodel their first homes.
Duane was a devoted father, and grandfather to 10 grandchildren: Helen Reilly, Mickey Reilly, Patrick Reilly, Maggie Reilly, Will Lucnik, Emily Lucnik, Sam Garcia, Bridgette Spizziri, Nicholas Spizziri, and Madison Dalleska. He never missed an opportunity to babysit his grandkids, and support his children any way he could. Duane was surrounded by love and laughter throughout his life and up until the day of his passing. He will be greatly missed by so many. His endless love for his family, the life lessons he taught his children, grandchildren, and students, and of course his signature crew cut will never be forgotten. Rest easy, Duane. Visitation will be held from 2-8pm at Skaja Terrace Funeral Home 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles. Funeral Service Monday 9:15 AM going to Our Lady of Ransom Church for 10 AM mass. Interment Maryhill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation in Duane's name. https://msfocus.org/Donate.aspx

Duane P. Uselmann age 84; beloved husband Therese "Terry" nee McKinley; devoted father of Mary (the late Joe) Garcia, Fran Uselmann, Jean (Robert) Dalleska, Carol Anne Reilly, and the late Patrick Uselmann; dearest grandfather of Helen Reilly, Mickey Reilly, Patrick Reilly, Maggie Reilly, Bridgette Spizzirri, Nicholas Spizzirri, Will Lucnik, Sam Garcia, Emily Lucnik, Madison Dalleska; cherished brother of the late Bill (the late Mae), the late Andrea (the late Ed) Kral; fond uncle of many. Visitation Sunday 2 PM until 8 PM at the Skaja Terrace Funeral Home, 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles. Funeral Service Monday 9:15 AM going to Our Lady of Ransom Church for 10 AM mass. Interment Maryhill Cemetery.
He served in the Ilinois National Guard, he was an Assistant Principal at Austin and Senn High School in Chicago, proud graduate of University of Wisconsin , Plattville, WI. Funeral Info. 847-966-7302

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation in Duane's name. https://msfocus.org/Donate.aspx