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In memory of

Sanford Ray Gail

Chicago, IL, USA

July 24, 1943 - January 17, 2021

Jul 24, 1943 - Jan 17, 2021

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Sanford Ray Gail, 77, of Chicago, Illinois, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on January 17, 2021, after a battle with Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia.

Sanford (Sandy) was born on July 24, 1943 to Leonard and Elsie in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from South Shore High School in 1961, he went on to study accounting at University of Illinois Chicago - Navy Pier, with his final year spent at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He passed the CPA exam on his first attempt and worked as an accountant while attending law school at DePaul University graduating in 1968. He later earned an LLM from John Marshall University in 1974.

He met his wife Holly, in class at the University of Illinois Chicago - Navy Pier, and they wed in 1967, going on to have two children, Larry and Michelle.

After law school Sandy worked as an attorney for the Chicago Sanitation District and started Karaganis & Gail, an environmental litigation law firm in the early 1970s. One of his proudest career achievements was successfully suing the City of Milwaukee for polluting Lake Michigan, litigating the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The other was suing Edgewater Hospital to allow him to remain with Holly and be present at Larry's birth.

Sandy had a wonderful sense of adventure. After learning to ski in his early 30s, Sandy became a passionate skier and certified ski instructor, teaching on weekends at Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. He also enjoyed traveling to Colorado and Utah to ski with family and friends. Sandy enjoyed taking on challenges - he completed two marathons, a triathlon, and numerous century rides, raising thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He learned to ride a motorcycle in his 60s and play the guitar in his 70s.

Sandy was a devoted father and husband, and his family meant more to him than anything else in the world. He loved his wife deeply and was extremely proud of both of his children. The only thing he loved more than being a husband and a father was being a grandfather to his three grandchildren. Anyone who knew Sandy knew that he was the most loving father and husband a family could ask for. He was beloved by family and friends, was the epitome of calm, and brought his warm smile and wry sense of humor to all situations.

He is survived by his wife Holly, his son Larry, daughter-in-law Cheri, and two grandsons Ethan and Eli, his daughter Michelle, his son-in-law Chris, and granddaughter Ari, his brother David and sister-in-law Carol, his sister Judee, two nephews, four nieces, five grandnephews, and five grandnieces.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to advance Parkinson’s research.

https://www.michaeljfox.org/d…

Larry and Michelle's eulogies can be read here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aiw…

A slideshow of Sandy's life can be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9xq…

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