Gregory A. Schladt

Gregory Alfred Schladt, of Fox River Grove, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family, friends, and faithful dog Ivy after a 16-month battle against glioblastoma on Friday, September 20, 2024 at the age of 58.

With his generous spirit and love for community service, Greg will be fondly remembered as a thoughtful, witty, selfless, kind, and patient man. 

Greg was born October 26, 1965 in Chicago, the son of Al and Barbara (nee Skiba) Schladt. He spent his childhood in Morton Grove and his teenage years in Arlington Heights. His love for travel started as a boy, with three kids in the back seat of the car on family road trips. Greg graduated from Rolling Meadows High School where he was on the cross country and track teams, and in the symphonic and jazz bands. 

A proud graduate of the University of Illinois, Greg received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He then embarked on a 25-year career at Motorola. While there, Greg co-invented a state-of-the-art wireless radio system used by the Motorola Men’s Cycling Team enabling him to serve as their technician at events including the Tour de France and the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. 

While working at Motorola in South Florida, he met his wife Melissa during Hurricane Andrew. During their time in Florida, they enjoyed many outdoor activities like music festivals, cycling, and going to various sporting events. They were married in Allentown, Pennsylvania in July 1996 and moved to Fox River Grove to start their family. Along with raising their daughters, Emily and Olivia, Greg was active in the community. Greg held multiple officer positions with the Fox River Grove Lions Club and Fox River Grove Recreation Council. He volunteered many hours for the Norge Ski Club, and coached local soccer and basketball teams. Greg is also the founder of the legendary Fox River Grove Poker Club. 

Greg will forever be known as a lifelong Cubs and Bears fan. For fun, he enjoyed running, traveling with his family, and music. Greg especially loved traveling to Las Vegas to play craps and blackjack with his wife Melissa, often returning home a winner. 

Above all, Greg will always be remembered for his role as “Superdad” to Emily and Olivia.

Greg was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Joe and Anne (nee Bochnik) Skiba and paternal grandparents Alfred Sr. and Margaret (nee Lau) Schladt. Greg is survived by his loving wife, Melissa; his beloved daughters, Emily (boyfriend Matt Stelmasek) Schladt and Olivia Schladt; his parents, Al and Barbara Schladt; his sisters, Diane (Ron) Liigsoo and Sue (Cory) Mahn; his parents-in-law Dave and Brenda Jones; his brothers-in-law Dave (Jenn) Jones and Mike (Colleen) Jones; his nieces and nephews, Allison and Natalie Liigsoo, Daxton Mahn, and Brooke, Parker, Sydney, Grace, and Madeline Jones; and many other beloved family members and friends. 

Visitation will be held Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 419 E Terra Cotta Ave (Rt. 176) Crystal Lake. The funeral service will be held the following day, Friday, September 27, at 10:30 a.m. with visitation beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Windridge Memorial Park, Cary.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Greg’s memory to Team Schladt Foundation, a 501c3 charity he founded supporting glioblastoma awareness, patient support programs, and clinical research. Donations can be made via Zelle to teamschladtfoundation@gmail.com.