Lee Gerwin, age 71, a resident of Carol Stream, Illinois, went into the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, October 25, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. He was born October 27, 1948 in Chicago to Chester & Virginia Gerwin.

Lee accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior at Camp Timberlee, and chose Micah 6:8 as his life verse, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (ESV). A note found in his Bible says, "My rule for Christian Living: Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible Study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work more difficult, is wrong for me."

He grew up on the northwest side of Chicago, graduating from Lane Technical High School in 1966, and earning a degree in Political Science from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana in 1970. During his time at Taylor, he rode a bicycle from Miami, Florida, to Seattle, Washington, with Wandering Wheels in 1969. In 1983, he earned a Master's degree in Business Administration from Dominican University (Rosary College) in River Forest, Illinois.

His vocational career began at the Federal District Court in Chicago as Minute Clerk for two semi-retired judges, including Julius Hoffman, the judge who presided over the Chicago Seven trial in 1969. Later, he moved into the banking industry, and completed his active work life as a financial analyst and personnel assistant at First Trust Portfolios, located in Wheaton, IL where he served for 28 years.

His avocations included bike riding, helping others with gardening projects, and harvesting, splitting, and selling firewood. He was an amazing husband and an involved and supportive father, attending all his children's concerts, sports competitions, and various other activities to cheer them on. He was most comfortable outside, working hard and just being outdoors. In his later years, he spent time in the woods and the lakeshore in Door County, enjoying being outside, especially in the winter.

Lee was a member of College Church in Wheaton, and for some years served as the driver for the Seekers (later renamed STARS) bus, bringing residents of some of the area group homes for adults with disabilities to College Church for worship and community.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Claudia (née Lowery); his children Abigail (Chris) Vazquez & Bradley Gerwin; one grandchild on the way; and his mother Virginia. Lee is also survived by his sister Peggy Gerwin and brother Phil Gerwin. He was preceded in death by his father, Chester.

Lee donated his body to the Anatomical Gift Association in an effort to help medical students learn more about the human body, and the disease that took his earthly life.

A visitation will be held at College Church on Friday, December 18, 2020 from 10:00 am until the time of the memorial service at 11:00 am. For those unable to attend, a livestream of the service is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsGF4z6_yt4&feature=youtu.be .

Memorial gifts may be directed to STARS Family Services, P.O. Box 1388, Wheaton, IL 60187 ( https://www.starsfamilyservices.org/ ), the organization that provides safe and loving care in group homes for adults with disabilities.

Family and friends may sign a guestbook at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.