Leslie Robert Gravesen died, unexpectedly, in Chicago on November 8, 2019 at the age of 78. Born in Chicago on March 28, 1941, Les was the oldest child of Leslie Munk Gravesen and Ethel Firing Gravesen. Following graduation from South Shore High School, Les attended Ripon College and the University of Arizona where his studies included biology, chemistry, anthropology, and music.
After school and time in the southwestern U.S., he returned to Chicago and worked in various medical settings as a highly skilled laboratory technician specializing in Phlebotomy. Les volunteered at the Howard Brown Memorial Clinic and Health Center for several years and particpated in the multi-year Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). In 1994, his MACS cohort group received an HBHC 20th Anniversary Special Recognition Award and a Presidential citation letter from President Clinton. Les retired from Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in 2009 after working many years in Microbiology with competency in several LIS systems.
Les was attuned to community affairs. He was engaging and enjoyed conversing on just about any subject. He enjoyed music of all types, cooking and baking, gardening, crossword puzzles, and architectural history. He loved the diversity of Chicago’s vintage neighborhoods and was a resident in Andersonville at the time of his death.
Les is survived by his three siblings, Evelyn G. Keever (Richard) of Virginia Beach, VA; Carol A. Gravesen of Wheaton, IL; and Gerald L. Gravesen (Kathleen) of Chicago, IL. He is also survived by his nephews: Daniel F. Keever (Amber) of Virginia Beach, VA; R. Andrew Keever (Meg) of Winston-Salem, NC; Dana C. Gravesen of Iowa City, IA; and his niece, Anna G. Mendola (John) of Lombard, IL; and several great nephews and great nieces.
A memorial service for family will be held graveside at Oak Hill Cemetery in Blue Island, IL in the spring of 2020. Memorial contributions may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
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