Former Lyons School District 103 school board president Margaret “Marge” Hubacek died suddenly on July 5 of an apparent heart attack. Hubacek was 78. She served one term on the D103 school board, serving from 2017 until 2021 and was school board president from 2017 until 2019. Prior to being elected to the school board Hubacek, a longtime resident of Forest View, had worked as a secretary in D103 for 33 years before retiring in 2015. D103 serves the southeast portion of Brookfield. Hubacek’s first job at D103 was as the school secretary at Lincoln School.
In 2017, two years after retiring as the superintendent’s secretary, Hubacek was recruited to run for the school board on a slate with incumbent Sharon Anderson and newcomer Shannon Johnson. The trio defeated a three-person slate, which included two incumbents, who were supported by Lyons Mayor Christopher Getty. That allowed Hubacek and her colleagues to flip control of the school board that Getty backed candidates obtained in 2015. Once on the board the trio allied with longtime incumbent Joanne Schaeffer to form a 4-3 majority that only lasted for two years. Hubacek was 68 when she was elected to the school board, not the typical age for a first-time school board candidate.
“Even though she no longer had kids in the district she cared about her community and she cared about the kids in the district and she wanted what was best for them and that was her personality in a nutshell,” Johnson said. “She wanted what was best for people, especially for people in her community and her area.”
Because of her vast experience working in the district for more than three decades her allies elected Hubacek school board president just a couple minutes after she was sworn in as a school board member. During her four years on the school board many issues were decided on 4-3 votes as the board was split into two camps.
When Schaeffer was defeated in 2017 control of the school board flipped back to school board members who were supported by Getty. Hubacek, Anderson and Johnson were relegated to the minority as Jorge Torres took over as school board president. In 2021 Hubacek, Anderson and Johnson all decided not to run for another term on the school board because even if all three won they would still be in the minority.
For many people Hubacek was the embodiment of D103. She got involved in the Home School PTA when her son Richie was a student there and then went to work for the district getting a job as a secretary at Lincoln School in Brookfield. She later worked as a secretary at Home School and at George Washington Middle School before being hired by then superintendent Mike Warner to be his secretary. She served as the secretary to the superintendent for 10 years.
“She was a fierce supporter of District 103,” Warner said. “She loved the school district and loved the people who were there. She was my right hand person when it came to just about anything because she knew everybody and she advised me on many decisions while I was superintendent.”
Glory Smith, who succeeded Hubacek as the Lincoln School secretary, remembered Hubacek as a kind colleague who could be tough when it came to doing what is best for kids.
“She was always encouraging, compassionate, would help people out,” Smith said. “Wasn’t afraid to stand up for what was right even if it was going to cause chaos. … Marge’s passion was always for the district and the betterment of the children. That was her goal. She was a kind human being as well.”
Schaeffer said that the breath of Hubacek’s experience in D103 was unique.
“She was everything, from being a parent, to being involved in PTA, to being school secretary, to being superintendent’s secretary, and probably running the district,” Schaeffer said. “She was involved in everything and I think everybody knew her. I’m getting notes from teachers and parents and all over the place of how much they loved her and what a great person she was.”
Schaeffer said that she and Hubacek disagreed occasionally but said that Hubacek never held a grudge and they became good friends.
Hubacek was a strong, blunt woman who spoke her mind and did not back down but she was also friendly and liked to chat. She had many friends and could seemingly get along with most anybody.
“She definitely left a mark on many people,” said Brookfield resident Krystal Steiner who served as a president of the Lincoln School PTA and the George Washington Middle School PTO recalling how helpful Hubacek was to the PTA when Hubacek was the superintendent’s secretary. “She was one kind lady. She definitely poured herself into D103.”
Hubacek was an avid sports fan, especially of her beloved Cubs and Blackhawks. She loved to go to her grandson’s James youth baseball games.
In addition to watching sports Hubacek enjoyed making quilts and greeting cards. She enjoyed going to craft shows and was always up for an outing.
Hubacek was born in 1948 and grew up in Chicago and Cicero. She graduated from Kelly High School on the southwest side of Chicago. Her maiden name was Kaczmarek.
She is survived by her longtime husband Rich, her son Richie and her grandson James.
Funeral arrangements are pending.