Phyllis Holowaty Albrecht

A 50-year resident of Lake Bluff, Phyllis was a pioneer in local government. She was elected the first woman Village President in Lake Bluff’s history (1981-85), after serving as the first woman Trustee on the Village Board (1973-81). She was instrumental in the establishment of the Lake Bluff History Museum (Vliet Center), serving as co-Chair of the fund raising committee and later Board member. She also played a key role in planning Lake Bluff’s Centennial celebration in 1995, as Chair of the Centennial Commission. In recognition of her decades of community leadership, the Village of Lake Bluff in 2014 created the Phyllis Albrecht Award, which recognizes distinguished community service to the village. She was also a leader in the League of Women Voters, serving as president of the Lake Bluff chapter in 1966-68, and then as co-president and president for the combined Lake Forest-Lake Bluff chapter in 1990-94. In 2013, the League named her the inaugural recipient of the Carrie Chapman Catt Local Leadership Award. Phyllis and her family were long-time members of Lake Bluff’s Grace United Methodist Church.

While raising three children, she earned a Master’s Degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Northwestern University in 1971. From 1972 to 1997 she was a clinical instructor, and later a member of the faculty, at Northwestern. She was active in the American Speech and Hearing Association.

Phyllis was a dedicated alumna of Knox College (class of 1956), where she was the first female president of the student body. At Knox she met her husband Jim, and they were married in 1956. Phyllis was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.

Phyllis was an enormously intelligent and accomplished person and a dedicated community servant, but she was most remarkable for her kindness, good humor, and love of life. She was a model of true friendship to people she met in all walks of life. The annual 4th of July gatherings at the Albrecht home on East Sheridan Place exemplified her hospitality and exuberant spirit.

After retiring, Phyllis and Jim split their time between Lake Bluff and Marco Island, Florida, where they found a wonderful second community. In 2014, they relocated to Rockville, Maryland, to be closer to their family.

She is survived by: her husband of 58 years, James L. Albrecht; three children, Ann Albrecht Michel (Washington, D.C.); Karen Albrecht (Paris, France), and James M. Albrecht (Gig Harbor, Wa.); and five grandchildren: Stephen, Jeffrey, and Gregory Michel, and Hannah and Cecily Albrecht.

Memorial donations may be given in the name of Phyllis Albrecht to Knox College, Office of Advancement, Galesburg, IL 61401-4999.