Neil Herman Quam

He was born in Fargo, North Dakota on November 13th, 1945 to Clarence and Inga Quam, as the youngest of four children. His father was killed in a work-related accident when he was 7 years old, which affected him deeply the rest of his life. In Fargo he attended Oak Grove High School, where he played basketball, and North Dakota State University, where he majored in business and economics.

Neil married his first wife Kay in 1967 and they had two children. He was a purple heart veteran, serving in the U.S. army for four years, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. After his military service he moved to Iowa to work for Sears. He was later a vice president at A.C. Neilsen, and a human resource director at Brunswick Corp. in the Chicago area, where he specialized in training and executive development. He received a master’s degree in quality management in 1995.

In August of 1990, shortly after his separation from his first wife, Neil met Cynthia. They married in 1997, and spent 26 loving years together as husband and wife. After his retirement Neil volunteered as a mentor with the Senior Core of Retired Executives (SCORE), and served nine years as the treasurer of End of the Line Humanists in the Oak Park area.

Neil was kind, smart, sociable, fit, handsome, and often witty. He loved horse racing, playing and watching sports (especially basketball), travel, the stock market, politics, 50s and 60s music, and a good bargain. He was an exceptional slow dancer, and his many talents in later years included balcony gardening, creating new recipes on his gas grill, and mixing the perfect straight-up marguerita.

He is survived by his wife Cynthia, his daughter Lori Renetzky (Michael), his son Arik Quam (Becky Kass), and his step-sons Michael Cappello (Margaret) and Anthony Cappello (Lindsay Stanford); also his grandchildren Adam and Julia Renetzky, Ariana and Arik Quam, and Zachary and Anna Cappello, as well as his sisters Ellen Peterson (Lee Roy) and Corinne VanSickle (Larry), and his brother Burton Quam (JoAnn).

There will be a private inurnment for the family, and later a memorial/life celebration for family and friends on a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) or the American Humanist Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.woodlawnchicago.com for the Quam family.