William S. Wardrop Jr. (“Bill”), a dedicated member of the Chicago community, passed away on January 10, 2017 due to complications related to diabetes. He is survived by his wife, Tina Wardrop, his three children, Justine, Margaret and Will, and his sister, Wendy Treves.

Bill was born on December 16, 1953 in Toledo, Ohio where he attended Rogers High School. He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1975.

Bill moved to the Chicago area in 1979 while working at Owens-Illinois. He attended the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and received his MBA in 1981. Over his 30 year career in real estate and finance he served as a Partner at LaSalle Partners in Chicago and a senior executive at Hines in Houston. In 1996 he founded Steere Capital Partners, a private investment firm. Bill served as a Founding Partner and Board member of Shields Meneley Partners, a specialized consulting firm helping senior executives with career transitions and leadership development.

Bill loved sports and throughout his life was an avid and competitive tennis, squash and golf player. As a high school student he won the Toledo City AAA Tennis Championship in 1971, and at Miami University he played Division 1 tennis.

Bill demonstrated his commitment to developing the Chicago community through his roles on the Boards of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, MetroSquash, The Latin School of Chicago, the Racquet Club of Chicago and the Saddle & Cycle Club, while also serving as an active member of the Economic Club of Chicago and Shoreacres Golf Club in Lake Bluff, Illinois. He remained involved with Kellogg School of Management for many years after receiving his MBA by teaching a real estate course and serving as a member of the Kellogg Alumni Advisory Board. Among other civic involvements, he helped to lead the “Take the Field” project, an initiative to help twelve underserved communities in Chicago secure new artificial turf playing fields.
He was devoted to his family and wide circle of friends. One of his greatest pleasures was mentoring young people on school and career choices. He also greatly enjoyed creating new business ventures.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 21, at 11 a.m., at the Fourth Presbyterian Church (corner of Michigan Avenue and Delaware Place) in Chicago. Contributions in memory of Bill may be made to MetroSquash (http://www.metrosquash.org/contribute-volunteer/ways-give) or to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (https://donate.ric.org/givenow).

Please visit BILL WARDROP BOOK OF MEMORIES. To express your thoughts or memories in the online guest book, visit www.chapelc.com or www.facebook.com/centralchapel. Arrangements by CENTRAL CHAPEL, Lane-Moynihan Directors, Chicago. Info., 312-944-6060 or 773-581-9000.

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