—Joy Hightower Morris, the celebrated Chicago transgender- and HIV-rights activist; founder of TransActions; and organizing force behind the Legends Lunch All Stars Awards, honoring the lives and resilience of trans* individuals and those living with HIV/AIDS—passed away Dec. 6 after a long battle with cancer.
—Carl Occhipinti, 61, the retired artistic director of Village Players, passed away Jan. 3.
—Michael McGuire, 55, passed away Jan. 5 of congestive heart failure. Among his jobs were managing the liquor department at Walgreens, tending bar at Broadway Limited, and working at the Ram booksore for 18 years. He also served low-income men, women and children living with AIDS at the Vital Bridges GroceryLand grocery center on Chicago's North Side.
—Bob Gammie, 88, a longtime community leader and activist, died January 30 due to cardiac arrest. Known as "Ma" or "Gammie" among many of his friends, he was active in the community for more than 60 years.
—Ron Dorfman, 73, longtime journalist and gay advocate, who, along with his partner of 20 years was among the first same-sex couples legally married in Illinois, died Feb. 10. Dorfman had heart disease, and his was among the marriages the courts allowed early due to medical reasons.
—Gordon Allen Locksley, 83, a private art dealer and collector of contemporary art, passed away quietly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Feb. 1 after a brief illness.
—Challis Gibbs, 61, one of the plaintiffs in the case that won emergency marriage licenses in Illinois, died Feb. 24. Gibbs and her partner of 21 years, Elvie Jordan, were among the first few couples married after a judge ruled Dec. 9, 2013, that early gay marriages could be performed for health reasons.
—D.J. Boos ( Danny W. Boos, Jr. ), 48, passed away unexpectedly March 14. Boos moved to Chicago in 1989, where he embarked upon a long bartending stint at Bucks and Touche, which lead to a career as a supervisor at Service Is Us staffing.
—Vernita Gray, one of Chicago's longest and most prolific activists for LGBT rights, died March 19. She was 65. Gray and wife Pat Ewert were the first same-sex couple married legally in Illinois, Nov. 27, 2013, after winning a court victory because of Gray's critical health situation.
—House-music pioneer Frankie Knuckles passed away March 31. He was 59. The producer, who was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1996, mixed work by artists such as Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson and Depeche Mode.
—Ron Novak, 64, passed away unexpectedly on April 2. He had a successful career in the restaurant business, in many capacities. At the time of his passing he was helping train others at Center on Halsted to follow their dreams and become working members of the food industry.
—Tajma Hall, 44, a Chicago-based entertainer who shined worldwide, died April 19, of cardiac arrest at Evanston Hospital. Hall won numerous pageants around the world, including Miss Continental Plus in 2007, Miss Gay USofA At Large in 2008, and the Miss All-American about 15 years ago. Hall also hosted the popular Hy-Drag Revue at Hydrate Nightclub in Lakeview.
—Clifford R. Duske, the loving life partner of Michael D. Frustini, passed away in April, according to The Chicago Tribune. He was also a loving member of the community who gave of himself selflessly—a true gentleman and an Angel.
—Paul Lutter, 68, passed away May 4 following complications from surgery. Lutter had been an attorney with the firm Bryan Cave LLC since 2004. Prior to working at Bryan Cave, Lutter was a partner with the law firm Ross and Hardies from 1971-2003. Lutter served on the boards of many Chicago area non-profits.
—Frank M. Robinson, 87, a former Chicagoan who moved to San Francisco and later became a speechwriter for gay politician Harvey Milk, died June 30. He was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2009.
—Greg Gravemier, 60, a longtime human-rights activist, passed away March 15 in Sterling, Virginia. Gravemier was especially active in progressive causes in Decatur, Illinois, where he lived for a number of years.
—Paul R. Rogers, 80, a retired national fashion director of men's apparel for Sears, passed away June 1.
—Raymond Hughes, 57, died June 25. Hughes worked as a paralegal, with his last employment at the American Civil Liberties Union.
—Wil Abtahi, 26, a textile artist and beloved partner of Lenya Friesner, died July 5. "She really was understanding and permissive that there are all sorts of people in the world, and that there's no one set way that all people have to be, or things that everyone has to like," said Freisner.
—Activist Joanne Marie Bristol, 59, passed away peacefully on July 19. Bristol was as an occupational therapist by trade, working mainly with babies and children at Easter Seals, Children's Memorial Hospital and finally, Northwestern Hospital.
—Thomas C. Senesac, 63, died July 19 after a long illness. Senesac worked on the production of more than 80 feature films and many television series set on location in Chicago and was also artistic director at Chicago special-event floral company Botanicals, Inc.
—Veronica "Ro" Gazzillo ( née Soper ), who was an All-Star player and then an assistant coach for the Chicago Force, died unexpectedly Aug. 10, at her home in Evanston. She was 39. Gazzillo played for the Force in 2010 and was named an Independent Women's Football League All-Star and the 2010 Force Offensive MVP. She joined the Force coaching staff for its 2013 national championship season.
—Caryn Berman, 62, died Sept. 1 of cancer. Berman helped organize the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and was on the city's first Mayor's Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues, under Mayor Harold Washington. Berman, a psychotherapist and social worker, was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1995.
—Point Foundation co-founder Carl Strickland, 40, died in a boating accident at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, on Aug. 22.
—Steven Moore, a former Chicago resident who moved to Colorado about two years ago and was the executive director of the National Gay Pilots Association ( NGPA ), died Oct. 27 in a plane crash in Boulder County, Colorado. He was 35.
—Navy veteran Michele Parisi, 68, was found dead in her room Nov. 6, according to friends. Parisi joined the American Veterans for Equal Rights ( at the time named Gay Lesbian Bisexual Veterans of America ), in 1992. In 1997 she was elected chapter vice president for one year. Michele has been a faithful member attending nearly every meeting and event for the last 22 years.
—One-term Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, the city's first and still-only female mayor, died Nov. 14 at age 81. Byrne was the first Chicago mayor to show support for the gay community. She issued an executive order banning discrimination in city employment and hiring, spoke out against police raids on gay bars, and backed Chicago's gay-rights ordinance during her term in office, which lasted 1979-1983.
—Dorothy Chvatal, 64, passed away Nov. 18. A lifelong Chicagoan, she worked for many years as a community health nurse and later as a licensed clinical social worker. She also was a longtime collective member at the Chicago Women's Health Center and was involved with the Center on Halsted.
—Timothy J. ( Tim ) Mitchell, 49, former Chicago Park District chief and Mayor Richard M. Daley aide, died Dec. 3 of natural causes.
—Ross M. Ramsey—the founder of House of Infiniti who lived in New York and had direct ties to many national ballroom cities, particularly Chicago—died Dec. 2. He was in his 50s.
—State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, 70, who had just been re-elected, passed away from complications following a stroke Dec. 10. Long a major player in state politics, Topinka held several offices, among them state treasurer, state representative and state senator.
