H. Karl Huntoon
H. Karl Huntoon, 61, a proud Moline man who valued and worked tirelessly to improve the lives of his family, his friends, his clients, and his community, passed away Jan. 1, 2011, at Trinity Pathway Hospice, Bettendorf, after a short battle with aggressive brain cancer.
A time to celebrate Karl's life will be held Sunday, Jan. 9, from 2-6 p.m. at the Moline Public Library. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the H. Karl Huntoon Memorial Fund, care of The Moline Foundation, 817 11th Ave., Moline, IL 61265. This fund will be used to continue Karl's efforts to continually improve the library and the community. Private family burial will be at Moline Memorial Park. Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Moline, is assisting the family.
Karl was born Dec. 19, 1949, in Davenport, to Harry Kline and Margit Anderson Huntoon. During the summer of 1970, he attended summer school at Dartmouth College, where he met his wife of 38 years, Andrea Dickgiesser. They were married July 29, 1972, in Woodbridge, Conn.
He graduated from Moline Senior High School in 1968. He then attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received a B.S. with honors in economics in 1972. He then received a Juris Doctor Degree from the College of Law at the University of Illinois in 1975. He was accepted to the Illinois Bar Association on Oct. 15, 1975, and the Iowa State Bar Association on Aug. 19, 1992. He was also admitted to the U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois and the U.S. Tax Court. Karl practiced law for 35 years in Moline concluding at Katz, Huntoon and Fieweger.
During his undergraduate years he became very active in Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He continued to improve Delta Upsilon by serving the Alumni Corporation of the Illinois Alumni Chapter, becoming President and serving in that role until 1980. In 1981 he was elected to the DU International Fraternity's Board of Directors serving various roles including Chairman of the Board from 1988 to 1991. He also received many fraternity awards and honors including the Outstanding Alumnus Award, and the prestigious Delta Upsilon Meritorious Service Award.
Karl improved his profession with involvement with the Rock Island County Bar Association serving as secretary/treasurer, vice president, and president. He was an assembly member from 1994 to 1999 for the Illinois State Bar Association and also served as a member of the Real Estate Section Council from 1992 to 1999. He had been a member of Quad City Estate Planning Council since 1992. Karl strived to improve the future by being an instructor of business at Augustana College and was awarded the Outstanding Teacher Award for 1979-1980 and 1980-1981.
First Congregational Church of Moline was improved by Karl's time as he was a Sunday School teacher for many years. He also served on the Board of Trustees and was elected chairman.
One of Karl's greatest gifts to the improvement of the community was his dedication of 10 years on the library board which included the fundraising and construction of the new Moline Public Library that opened in 2006. He served on the Moline Police and Fire Commission and the Quad City Arts Board.
He is survived by his wife, Andrea "Anne"; two sons who were honored to have him as their father, James (Molly) Huntoon, Pawley's Island, S.C., and Mark (Sabrina) Huntoon, Bettendorf; three grandchildren he very much adored; a sister, Elizabeth Huntoon, Chicago; and a very dear friend, Truman Symmonds, who helped him tirelessly during his illness.
Online condolences may be expressed to Karl's family by visiting his obituary at www.esterdahl.com.
Obituary from QC Online
Karl Huntoon's Story Ends at 61
By Dawn Neuses, dneuses@qconline.com
MOLINE -- As Karl Huntoon saw it, everyone deserved respect and a smile.
Mr. Huntoon -- a strong supporter of his community, an advocate for his clients, a role model for his profession and a man who sought to make others laugh -- lost his short battle with aggressive brain cancer on Saturday. He was 61.
For 35 years, he practiced law in Moline, most recently at Katz, Huntoon and Fieweger. He spent 10 years on the Moline Public Library Board, served on the Moline Police and Fire Commission and was on the Quad City Arts Board. As a member of the First Congregational Church in Moline, he was a volunteer Sunday school teacher who served on its board of trustees and, at one point, was elected its chairman.
He was active in the Delta Upsilon fraternity and received the Outstanding Teacher Award at Augustana College in 1979-80 and 1980-81. Most recently secretary/treasurer for the Rock Island County Bar Association, he also had served as its vice president and president.
John McGehee, vice president of the bar association, said he enjoyed working with Mr. Huntoon, both as an attorney and within the association.
"It was just his personality. Whenever Karl did something, he did it well," he said. "He had a very excellent reputation for being very thorough with the work he did.
"He also had a great sense of humor,"Mr. McGehee said. "At real estate closings he was always making statements to make people feel comfortable and make them laugh. I always appreciated his sense of humor, just the way he communicated. He was a funny guy."
As an attorney, Mr. Huntoon was a caring and very, very bright man, said Frank Nowinski, a principal of the law firm Katz, Huntoon and Fieweger. Mr. Huntoon dealt in business, real estate and estate planning, Mr. Nowinski said, and was at the same time precise and flexible. He could look at the big picture and achieve a client's goals, Mr. Nowinski said.
Mr. Huntoon had 200 of those clients, from local mom-and-pop shops to limited liability corporations and multi-million dollar operations.
"He had a knack of treating all people with respect," Mr. Nowinski said, describing Mr. Huntoon as loyal. "He also had a quick wit, enjoyed life and was an all-around good person.
"He was a supporter of good things."
Moline Mayor Don Welvaert called Mr. Huntoon a visionary, a community-minded person and a strong library supporter. Under Mr. Huntoon's leadership, the 41st Street library was built and opened in 2006.
"He is one of those people I am never going to forget," said Dee Runnels, a friend who is an attorney with Snyder, Park, Nelson, Schweibert. She said he always asked her what book she was reading, and the two would share titles and recommendations.
Ms. Runnels said Mr. Huntoon's favorite book was "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving. When the library opened, a photo was taken of Mr. Huntoon holding that book.
"It epitomizes what I love about Karl Huntoon,"Ms. Runnels said. "He is holding the book, but his eyes are looking up and he has a pixyish grin on his face.
"He could make me giggle," she said of his infectious sense of humor. "Even in his waning days, you could still get a snicker out of him."
Ms. Runnels joined the Moline library board in 2008 when Mr. Huntoon's term expired. To this day, she said, when she talks about the library, people say, "You might want to check that with Karl."
"What he did for the city of Moline, working to get the new library built, is a legacy that will go on forever," said Ms. Runnels.
Sometimes when a person dies, she said, you can still hear their voice in your head.
"Karl will be that way, and be that way for a lot of people," she said. "To be as respected as he was as an attorney -- but then as well liked as he was. He led a good life, and it is rotten it ended so soon."
Celebrating Karl Huntoon
Karl Huntoon is survived by his wife, Andrea "Anne," and two sons, James (Molly) Huntoon, of Pawley's Island, S.C., and Mark (Sabrina) Huntoon, of Bettendorf. A celebration of his life is planned from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Moline Public Library, 3210 41st St. A private family burial is planned in Moline Memorial Park.
Posted at QC Online: Jan. 03, 2011, 7:26 pm
Moline Public Library Sports New Landscaping
by Dawn Neuses, dneuses@qconline.com
The west side of the Moline Public Library is newly decorated with trees, daylilies, native grasses and purple hydrangeas, and a limestone path leading to three benches.
A simple stone states its dedication: "The Karl Huntoon Garden."
Under Mr. Huntoon's leadership, the library at 3210 41st St. was built and opened in 2006. A member of the public library board for 10 years, he died January 1st, 2011.
His wife, Anne, directed that a portion of the memorials given to the Moline Foundation in Mr. Huntoon's memory be used to pay for the landscaping. When the library was built, the landscaping budget was cut and never completed, she said.
"I thought this was a fitting tribute," she said.
The landscaping was designed by Ms. Huntoon and Heritage Landscape Design president Troy Lewis.
Posted at QC Online: June 29, 2011, 11:48 pm
