Dave Dubicki

David (Dave) Dubicki, 73, of Peoria, Ill., passed away at OSF Hospital on September 17, 2024, following a short illness. He was born in St. Francis Hospitals' original building on August 27, 1951, to Frank and Virginia (Smigielski) Dubicki. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy) Dubicki; daughter Martha Dubicki (Trent Jackson) and grandchildren Parker, Calvin and Ace Jackson, of Chicago; son John Dubicki of Peoria; aunt Patricia Bieganski and cousins Bonnie (Bob) DeCola and Mike (Mary) Bieganski of Mishawaka/Granger, Ind.; other relatives in the South Bend area; and nieces by marriage of whom he was very fond. Frank and Virginia Dubicki, both deceased, were children of parents who immigrated from Poland and Russia. They moved to the Peoria area in the 1940s from their hometown of South Bend, Ind., to start Kitchen Made Pies, a commercial bakery that operated for many years on Peoria’s south side. Dave grew up in Morton, Ill., attended Blessed Sacrament grade school and graduated high school from Spalding Institute in Peoria. He continued his education at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., spending his junior year at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. During high school and summers between college years, Dave worked at Kitchen Made Pies and also played a lot of golf at area courses. Dave then attended Northwestern School of Law (Chicago) where he graduated, with honors, in 1976. After law school, Dave returned to his home town of Peoria to join the law firm Kavanagh, Scully, Sudow, White & Frederick where he practiced for 23 years. In 1999, Dave was appointed to the 10th Judicial Circuit of Illinois as an associate circuit judge, and had the privilege of serving in various courts in Peoria and Tazewell counties. In 2011 when assigned to domestic court, Dave performed the 10th Circuit’s first civil union ceremony. He appreciated his civil court assignments where he heard cases ranging from contract disputes to medical malpractice. Dave retired from the bench in 2016. During college and law school, Dave became interested in art and was influenced by the collections of Hartford’s Wadsworth Athenium and the Art Institute of Chicago. His exposure to art in his early 20s led to a lifetime of research and acquisitions of works on paper created by German Expressionists and modern and contemporary American artists. His interest in art inspired many trips to cities with vibrant art cultures and museums, notably New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis, Miami—and Santa Fe/Taos, his favorite venues. During retirement, Dave explored in earnest the hiking trails in the Peoria Park District, and also took on some challenging trails in state and national parks across the country. Dave was a proud member of Forest Park Nature Center’s 1,000-mile Hikers Club, logging over 1,300 miles on those trails before his death. Dave met Elizabeth (Betsy) Baggott in Chicago during his last year of law school, and she joined him in marriage and life in Peoria in 1978. He often introduced her as “my first wife” (i.e. his only wife). They had 47 years together raising their children (and helping with grandchildren), supporting each other in their careers, purchasing art, traveling, enjoying retirement and, of course, hiking great trails. Dave will be remembered for being a conscientious and thoughtful attorney and judge. He was known for his wry, quirky sense of humor and his (often) unrequited love of the Chicago Bears, Chicago White Sox, IU basketball, and NW football. He had an economical approach to life’s necessities, but was hugely generous with his family and others in many ways. He read newspapers every day, read biographies and histories about our founding fathers and the Supreme Court, studied Civil War battle history (he was deeply moved by a recent visit to Gettysburg), and enjoyed the mystery novel genre and works by many American novelists. And he loved pie, especially for breakfast. Cremation rites have been accorded by Schmidt-Haller Burial and Cremation Services of Peoria, Ill.; online condolences may be left for the family at www.schmidthaller.com. Donations in Dave’s memory may be made to Forest Park Nature Center, 5807 N. Forest Park Drive, Peoria Heights, IL 61616 (309-681-2861); or to a charity of your choice. A memorial reception will be held at the Peoria Riverfront Museum on Saturday, October 12, from 5:30 to 8pm.

Dave Dubicki

August 27, 1951 - September 17, 2024