Gregg Steven Chadwick, age 57, died far too soon, from complications of heart failure on
September 9, 2020. He was born in Dexter, Maine, and adopted at birth by Jeanne and Harold
Chadwick, who preceded him in death. Gregg grew up in Warick, Rhode Island. He went to
Bishop Hendricken High School, graduated from Boston University with an undergraduate
degree and MBA. For most of Gregg’s professional career he worked as a healthcare executive,
managing several local medical practices, at the University of Illinois College of Medicine
Pediatric Department and at Decatur Memorial Hospital. Gregg became a Certified Medical
Practice Executive and was president of the Illinois Medical Group Management Association in
2014. One of his superpowers was navigating relationships with physicians with grace and tact.
Gregg’s quiet, patient demeanor was once compared to being in the calming green room before
going on TV. Gregg’s recent and most meaningful work was as the chief operating officer at
Marcfirst, a non-profit agency serving people with developmental disabilities.

Gregg’s priority was his family. As a jack-of-all trades, Gregg taught his children how to grill,
plate food, garden, and the importance of gender neutral bathrooms. Making wine biscuits,
learning to share, cleaning a toilet the correct way, and the art of thinking before you speak
were important gifts his children value. From a young age, Gregg’s children appreciated his
ability to acknowledge and affirm their feelings, and his active engagement in activities that were
important to them.

Gregg had many hidden talents. He was an award-winning accordion player, became TESOL
certified to teach English as a second language, which he did online for the last three years, and
was teaching himself Mandarin (discovered only when his wife found stacks of
Mandarin/English flashcards around the house.) Enjoying musical theatre, Gregg played the
same Pandora musical playlist every morning for years. His greatest nemesis was the rabbit
family that believed the garden was their personal buffett, despite the numerous and
unattractive fences and blockades Gregg built year after year. Rare excitability was apparent
when he saw a rabbit, leaped up, and dashed out the door to chase it. No kidding, he chased
them.

To practice for retirement, during which Gregg and Robyn planned to live abroad for months at
a time, they traveled internationally as often as possible. Gregg was particularly adept at
accumulating credit cards, points, and miles to obtain business class seats for international
travel. These trips left his family with wonderful memories of shared experiences. One such
adventure was when Gregg broke his ribs cycling down a volcano in Ecuador, the first day of a
Christmas family holiday. And complained not once.

Civic work, volunteerism, and giving back were priorities to Gregg. One of his earliest gigs was
as a hospice volunteer in Boston in the 1980s. Upon moving to Illinois, he coached chess when
his son, Avery, started playing and served for two years on the Citizens Advisory Council with
the Unit 5 school board. For a short time he was a Court Appointed Special Advocate.
Opportunities that required leadership, management, problem-solving, and strategic planning
that necessitated sustained, in-depth thinking made the best use of his skills. Gregg served on
the Personnel Committee at the Unitarian Universalist Church, the Peoria Area World Affairs

Council Board of Directors, and held several positions on the Illinois Community College
Trustee Association (ICCTA) executive board.The Multicultural Leadership Program Advisory
Board, B-N Advantage, and the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation Board of Directors were
recipients of his time and dedication as well.

After his family and travel, Heartland Community College was his third love. He believed in the
mission of community colleges and was proud to be a part of Heartland’s growth and
development as a board member for 18 years, serving as board chair for 11 years. Gregg
began his term as president of ICCTA in 2020 and was awarded the Ray Hartstein Trustee
Achievement Award also in 2020. Gregg was a rock star leader in his quiet way.
In 2019, on a whim, Gregg took a DNA test searching for any biological siblings. To his shock,
he discovered an entire family, living in different adoptive families. They had known of each
other for decades, that Gregg existed and had spent many, many years trying to find him. In
October 2019, Gregg traveled to Maine to meet his two sisters, two brothers, and his 78-year-
old mother, who died two months later. While they had too little time together, Gregg loved his
new-found family deeply.

Gregg is survived by his wife, Robyn, and his children Avery, Hallie, and Ben, grieving that he
suffered with heart failure and left their lives far too soon. His adopted brother, two biological
brothers, two biological sisters, nephews, mother-, father- and brothers- and sister-in-law
survive as well as dear friends, knowing the world has lost a gentle, loving soul, wicked smart
problem-solver, and good human being.

If he could, Gregg would edit this obituary for brevity and remove all adjectives.
Gregg walked through the world in the way that made sense to him, thoughtful of others,
working hard to do right by others in his professional and personal life. In lieu of flowers the
family has requested that donations be made to Marcfirst and Heartland Community College.