Russell Edwin Trauth, age 92, of Skokie, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2022, after an eight-week battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at his home surrounded by his wife and children.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 67 years, Joan, née Ponchione; loving father of Anthony (Linda) Trauth, Vincent (Ester) Trauth, Angela (Pat) Trauth, Clare (Rick) Hollatz, Rosanne (Barry) Welenc, Robert (Gretchen) Trauth, and Richard Trauth; preceded in death by his son, Gregory Trauth, and dear brother, Charles Jr. (Shirley) Trauth, and loving parents, Charles Sr. and Cecelia Trauth; proud grandfather of Dominic Trauth, Benjamin Trauth, Emma Trauth, Elizabeth Trauth, Alexandra Trauth, Ethan Trauth, Mary Welenc, and Brendan Trauth.
Born in 1929, Russell was a graduate of Evanston Township High School and the American Academy of Art, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and DePaul University in Chicago, where he received his BFA in Art Education.
He worked for Montgomery Ward for 10 years as a designer, store planner and project manager, before becoming a partner with Henry Kussa at Kussa/Trauth, Ltd., in 1966, and later principal and owner of Trauth Associates, Ltd., upon Mr. Kussa’s retirement. Russell was a pioneer in the early days of retail store planning and design, and his firm was on the cutting edge of the industry before it was known as a separate field of practice in interior design and architecture. His firm, Trauth Associates, Ltd., worked with many well-known retailers, including Marshall Fields, Montgomery Ward, Hart Schaffner Marx, and many museums in Chicago, including The Art Institute of Chicago, the Lincoln Park Zoological Society, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Field Museum of Natural History.
Russ was a member of The Skokie Art Guild for over 40 years, having won many local awards for his artwork. In 1963 Russ moved his family to St. Lambert Parish in Skokie. He was a member of the secular order of Franciscans, served as a lay minister of communion for many years, and on the finance committee.
Visitation, Friday, January 28, 2022, from 3 to 8 p.m., at HABEN Funeral Home & Crematory, 8057 Niles Center Rd., Skokie.
[Please note: In compliance with CDC, State, and local COVID guidelines, face masks are mandatory indoors regardless of vaccination status.]
Family and friends to meet for Mass of Christian Burial, Saturday, January 29, at 10 a.m., at Sts. Peter & Lambert Catholic Parish (St. Lambert Church), 8148 Karlov Ave., Skokie.
Interment, All Saints Catholic Cemetery, Des Plaines.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Illinois, P.O. Box 772386, Detroit, MI, 48277 (lls.org/il) or Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD, 21297 (crs.org).
Funeral info: 847.673.6111.