OBITUARIES

Laurence Msall, 61

Longtime Civic Federation president

Laurence J. Msall, 61, for merly of Oak Park, died on Feb. 4, 2023, surrounded by his family Bor n in Chicago on Jan. 3, 1962, the eighth of 10 children, to Emil and Lucille (nee Kotewa) Msall, he attended St. Ignatius High School and Knox College in Galesburg, where he later served on the Board of Trustees. At Knox, he picked up the political bug and moved to Springfield to work for then-Illinois Gove nor Jim Thompson at the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.

In 1990, he joined the staff of the Commercial Club of Chicago as vice president, where he worked with the CEOs of some of Chicago’s largest corp gional economic development strategies and special projects, including the Soldier Field rehab and reorganization of the United Way of Chicago. He ear ned his Juris Doctorate in 1992 at Loyola University School of Law, Evening Division.

As the business community’s voice for fiscal responsibility, gover nment efficiency and accountability, he was a fixture in the media and legislative bodies throughout Illinois, helping to explain complex gover nment finance issues and pushing gover nment leaders to choose sustainable fiscal policies with a long-ter m perspective.

In addition to his professional career, he was an avid runner, fisher man, world traveler, White Sox fan, father, grandfather, uncle, friend and husband He retur ned to Illinois gover nment in 1999, when then-Gover nor George H. Ryan appointed him Senior Advisor for Economic Development. He was responsible for the oversight of 11 of the state’s economic development and infrastructure-related agencies.

He became president of the Civic Federation, Illinois’ century-old, leading voice for fiscal responsibility and gover nment accountability, in January 2002. Over his 20 years as president, he worked tirelessly to make the Civic Federation an indispensable source of reliable fiscal information and gover nment process recommendations to public of ficials, the media and the general public. He was also a strong mentor to a generation of Civic Federation staff, who have gone on to successful careers in gover nment, philanthropy and the private sector.

In 2018, he mar ried the love of his life, Nicola Hill-Cordell, creating a boisterous mixed family of eight children.

In addition to his wife, Laurence Msall is survived by his three daughters, Lucille, Camille and Matilda, and Nicola’s children, Alex (Maria), Samantha (Michael), Tommy, Tess and Oscar, as well as three grandchildren, Valerie, Owen, and newly born Reece Jeffrey; eight of his siblings, Michael (Karla), Anita, Karin (Steve) Fischer, Mary (Scott) Rogers, Camille, Madeleine (Frank Mauceri), Christianne, and Julianne (Christopher) Pegler; his first wife, Mary Jo Smith, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, father and brother, Gerard Peter. Generous to the end, he will also live on through the people he helped via organ donation.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Saler no’s Galewood Chapel, 1857 N. Harlem Ave., Chicago. Meet the family for Mass at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at St. Giles Church, 1045 Columbian Ave, Oak Park

I fully support Rick Klaus in his call for our many new Downtown Oak Park neighbors to clean up after their dogs [Oak Park or Oak Poop? Viewpoints, Feb. 1] Either that, or we should re- name Lake Street in the downtown area after a cer tain popular TV series: Schitt’s Creek.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to L’Arche Chicago, an organization that provides services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

See OBITUARIES on pa ge 34

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