Brian Oberhauser, a longtime public servant in Brookfield and a devoted educator, died on July 16, 2026. He was 49.
Oberhauser completed two terms as a village trustee from 2009-2017 and continued to volunteer with the village afterward, serving terms on Brookfield’s beautification and conservation commissions. He was the chair of the parks and recreation commission at the time of his death, according to a press release from the PEP Party, of which Oberhauser had been a member.
Oberhauser worked as an educator throughout his life. For at least the last 10 years, he was a social studies tutor at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, a small village in Lake County. He also worked there as a teacher for at least five years, said Ryan Evans, a member of Brookfield’s planning and zoning commission. Before that, he worked as a teacher at Warren Township High School, Evans said.
Evans served on the village board at the same time as Oberhauser. Evans is now the superintendent for Brookfield-LaGrange Park School District 95.
Evans described Oberhauser as “intellectual” and having had “a sharp wit about him,” even during serious moments.
“He really was able to take any topic and, while serious, keep it lighthearted, and I think that’s a skill to have,” Evans told the Landmark. “To see him champion certain topics was a learning experience for me about how you can be vocal on a board but also still collaborative. Brian was never shy to share what his views were, even if they were in contrast to the people he worked with.”
In the PEP Party’s release, Evans described Oberhauser as an advocate for low water rates, protecting wildlife in Brookfield and taking “a fair and balanced approach” to Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s tax contributions while opposing the use of red-light cameras.
“Those who served alongside him will remember discussions ranging from major municipal policy questions to whether residents should be permitted to keep chickens in their backyards,” Evans wrote.
In May, Oberhauser was featured in the Daily Herald as the head coach of Stevenson’s scholastic bowl team, which took home the school’s first national win.
Evans lauded Oberhauser for his civic service in Brookfield, which he said was “at the forefront” of his activities.
“When volunteerism in general society is waning, that was not something we saw with Brian. He probably carried that forward from his youth. He was an Eagle Scout,” Evans said. “You saw that manifest itself in his adult life. Being a civics, government and social studies teacher, he was living what he taught his students.”
Evans said the comments those students have been leaving on Oberhauser’s social media pages in the wake of his death speak to the impact he made. On Facebook, former students called Oberhauser “one of the best teachers [they] ever had” and “someone who truly … cared for us as human beings” and shared stories of his support in their lives even after they had graduated.
“While he didn’t teach in Brookfield, it was such a big part of his life. A common thread that kept coming through the different students was, ‘I wasn’t heard by others, and I was heard by Mr. Oberhauser,’” Evans said. “To me, that’s what speaks to who he was. When you hear that from students, I think that’s a lasting legacy.”
