Obituary: Dean Michael Trafelet

February 1, 1942 ~ February 12, 2023

Dean Michael Trafelet died on February 12, 2023.  Born on February 1, 1942, he was a resident of Chicago and Door County, Wisconsin, with his wife of thirty years, Louise Bronner Trafelet. 

Early indifference to academic achievement and pranks of spectacular creativity, Dean overwhelmed the patience of the administration of several boarding schools and, to a much greater extent, his parents, Judge Raymond E Trafelet and Charlette G. Trafelet. He eventually graduated from Northwestern University and the University of Tulsa College of Law, where he was the runner-up for its Anchor Award of Achievement.  He then rose to become a nationally known attorney and a founding partner of Schlegel & Trafelet and was one of the originators of the Agent Orange class action litigation, which resulted in one of the largest settlements at the time. He successfully represented numerous railroads defending demands from the EPA, thus avoiding catastrophic rail disruptions throughout the country. 

From 1984 to 1997, Dean served on the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, where, by special assignment, he presided over complex, toxic tort, product liability, and environmental cases. He was an advisor to the State of Alaska on the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill and was appointed by Governor Thompson to the Illinois Task Force on the Transportation and Handling of Toxic Materials. In 1989, the Illinois Supreme Court re-appointed him to the bench to resume his docket of asbestos product liability cases, including the largest salmonella outbreak in the United States. Upon his judicial retirement in 1997, he became a partner at Hedlund, Hanley & John until 2002. For the past twenty-five years, he served by appointment of both the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts, as a trustee of multiple asbestos and pharmaceutical trusts and as the court-appointed Future Claims Representative of claimants in numerous trusts. He lectured at Northwestern University’s School of Law and was Chairman of the Board of the Delaware Claims Processing Facility and NextClaim Solutions.

Dean traveled the world hunting, angling, and exploring throughout Africa,  Europe, the Canadian Arctic, Northwest Territories, and the Canadian Nunavut Nation. Amongst his many adventures, in February of 1974, he traversed the ice-packed western shore of Hudson Bay from Fort Churchill to Wager Bay. The trek was self-contained without air drops and long before GPS or satellite phones. In 1992, he joined the Canadian Government’s live capture team of beluga whales for Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. He logged hundreds of hours in de Havilland Beavers and other bush planes in search of remote lakes and rivers in the Northwest Territories and the upper Arctic regions. He always treasured returning to his favorite Bloody River for Arctic grayling and the mouth of the Tree River at the Coronation Gulf in the Nunavut Region of Canada for record-breaking Arctic char.   

Dean was a co-producer, business manager, and performer at the Chicago Bar Association’s Christmas Spirits Show for twenty-three years, where his humor and imagination flourished. An avid handball player, he competed in Class A Doubles tournaments throughout the Chicago area.

Louise and Dean spent half the year in Door County, Wisconsin, enjoying the nature and tranquility of the area. He thrived on working on his ever-changing collection of classic British motorcars, several of which were awarded podium positions on the lawns of world-class Concours d’ Eleganceevents. He would often be found in the garage, wrench in one hand, shop rag in the other, and a cigar between his teeth, working on his collection while enjoying the soundtracks of traditional Broadway musicals. In the autumn, Dean strode the Wisconsin cornfields hunting upland game with his constant companions and unfailing Spinone pointers, Ollie and, later, Jack. 

He is survived by his wife, Louise, and three children from a prior marriage, Remy W. Trafelet (Missy), Theodore M. Trafelet (Lisa), Douglas A. Trafelet (Libby), seven grandchildren, and a stepson, Timothy O. Stearns. The family would like to express their gratitude to Gina, his nurse, for her care and compassion for the past three years.  

A memorial contribution may be made to Des Plaines Wetlands Conservancy, Inc. at 9626 113^th St., Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158.

Info: Donnellan Family Funeral Services, (847) 675-1990 or www.donnellanfuneral.com