Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 4-5

5 CHICAGO TRIBUNE METRO SECTION4 the frequent searches in the area for Peterson could lead to Stebic, police say. As in the Peterson investigation, suspicion in the Steb- ic case fell on her husband, Craig. His attorney, George Lenard, called it tunnel vision last week and noted the focus is so intense, police have trained two video cameras on his house. Craig Stebic, the last person to see Lisa, has not been charged. On Sunday, family will join with the community for a walk in her name at 1 p.m.

at the Village Green in Plainfield. Proceeds will be donated to Guardian Angel Community Services, which offers domestic violence crisis services. Hundreds are expected to come out. older sister, Debbie Ruttenberg, said the disappearance an immense hole in our lives. And with this whole experience, I think finding now touched thousands of lives.

I consider Lisa a remarkable gift and She was about to turn 38 when she vanished. The day before, she had lounged poolside with her neighbor and good friend, Laurrie Bingenheimer, giggling about the possibilities her future could dating. was happy. The last day, I remember her smiling that Bingenheimer said. The women basked in unseasonable warmth.

two children scampered around the pool, still covered from the winter. The husbands, also friends, sat just inside the house with the screen open. The conversation was not hushed. Her divorce seemed near, and she was ready to embrace the new Lisa after 14 years of marriage. She was in great shape from dieting and exercising every day.

Lisa showed off her hard work, wearing a bikini that showed something else new: a large butterfly tattoo on her back. Always independent, she was ready to fly on her own. On May 1, Craig Stebic called Bingenheimer to ask where Lisa was. Bingen- heimer, unable to find her, called police and Debbie Ruttenberg. mom was at the library when the phone rang.

librarian was telling me I have the phone on, and Debbie was saying to me, you and she was crying hysterically. I even remember getting in my car or driving Judy Ruttenberg ran inside her house and screamed for her husband. Debbie called back and told them: Lisa had disappeared. we thought the worst. We knew something horrific had happened, because Lisa would never, ever leave her her mother said.

Lisa is the second of three daughters. She grew up in Libertyville, part of a large, tight-knit Jewish family. she was her mother recalled with a laugh, nurses in the nursery were in awe because she was a few hours old and she was the only one who was holding her head up and looking around. It was something else. It was like she was looking at the world, the new world around her, and looking to find what it was all As a child and teen, she won civic and school awards.

She excelled in butterfly in swimming was her loved to roller skate and romp with the family dog. She went to college, first Southern Illinois University, then Kendall College. It was about that time, age 19, she met Craig Stebic. just remember, I loved her to said younger sister, Jill Webb. just got my license.

She had this cream-colored Firebird, and her license plate was cream puff, and she was just awesome. She let me drive it The couple married several years later in Jamaica. No family was invited. agreed they want a Webb said. When Lisa was pregnant with their first child, they separated for a time and Lisa moved in with her parents.

The couple reconciled, but the relationship with Lisaand her husband became strained. Still, Lisa stayed connected to her family. always made an effort to come out to Libertyville and visit us for the day, for the her mother said. Bingenheimer said Lisa and Craig got counseling and repaired the cracks in the marriage. They had a second child and moved to Plainfield around 2000.

But the marriage deteriorated. In December 2006, police were called to settle a fight. In January, Craig filed for divorce. They both stayed in the house as they tussled over arrangements. By the time she disappeared, they were barely speaking.

On April 30, Craig said he had been working in the back yard when he thought somebody picked Lisa up. It was about 6:30 p.m. The kids, he said, were off buying candy. That day, Lisa had mailed her attorney a petition seeking to have Craig removed from the home. Craig has said he know about it.

By July, police named him a of They suspect foul play. He denies any involvement. Meanwhile, her loved ones adjust to life without Lisa. They are fighting Craig for visitation with her children. me, my life will never be the same.

really destroyed as known said her sister Debbie. have lost Lisa, and what I try to do is to remember all the love she gave and the love she put into everything she Tribune photo by John Smierciak A reward poster is part of a makeshift memorial for Lisa Stebic near her home. MISSING CONTINUEDFROMPAGE1 There was no shortage of suspects. The maple tree, along with two others, grew along the north side of her patio, just below a mess of utility wires. As the trees grew, their branches stretched perilously close to the wires.

Philiotis surmised that one of the utilities had trimmed her trees to protect its wires. But which one? Like Philiotis, Janopoulos was puzzled. Tree trimming is an art. The person who trimmed these trees had the artistic flair of a butcher. Janopoulos said the maple was trimmed so mercilessly, it now resembles a totem pole.

Arborcide pretty. know what the motivation was for such a drastic Janopoulos said. kind of a He suggested Philiotis ask her neighbors whether they saw anything. Workers for each utility wear distinct uniforms that usually can be identified quickly, he said. Philiotis said she asked a friend who manages the apartment complex next door.

He reported seeing nothing. She called all of the utilities. When no one up, she e-mailed Your Problem? mean, look at this, she said on a recent morning, showing the Problem Solver the 9-foot stump that used to be her maple. they wanted to whack it, they should have whacked it to the trunk. what makes me so mad.

There was no regard for the health of the What she wanted was closure. She wanted to know who would do such a despicable act to a poor, unsuspecting tree. She also wanted the culprit to pay for removing her now lifeless tree, a project that could cost hundreds, perhaps more than $1,000, Janopoulos said. The Problem Solver called ComEd, and Comcast. All three said they were not responsible.

spokeswoman Meghan Roskopf said the phone company trims branches only when they pose an imminent threat to the wires. The branches clearly did not. Comcast spokeswoman Angelynne Amores said the cable company rarely trims treesand had not been called to ComEd spokesman Luis Diaz said his workers did go to the house, but only after the tree was trimmedto confirm they were not responsible. The Problem Solver was about to pack it inbut decided to place one more call Wednesday night, to Philio- who manages the apartment complex next door. The friend did not return the Problem message.

Instead, he went to and confessed. Philiotis said he told her he spent four hours hacking away at the trees to keep the branches from disrupting the utility lines. Because he was not an experienced tree trimmer, he simply went too far. thought it seemed a bit Philiotis said. he just kept Philiotis said he felt so bad about it, he initially lied about his involvement.

just Phi- liotis said. worst thing you can do to me is lie to After hearing the Problem voice mail Wednesday, the apartment manager decided it was time to come clean. Philiotis said he agreed to pay for the dead removal. still stunned that friends would do this to Philiotis said. value their friendship tremendously.

I forgive them for trimming the tree. Do I forgive them for lying to me? a tougher call. I have an answer for HAVE A PROBLEM? E-mail us your story, providing as many details as possible, to une.com or write to Your Problem, Newsroom, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Chicago, IL 60611. Please include your name and a way to contact you.

We cannot respond to everyone, but get to as many as we can and publish the results on Wednesdays and Sundays. Tribune photo by Chuck Berman Barbara Philiotis was shocked to discover the trees in the back yard of her River Forest home trimmed to within an inch of life and sought to discover the perpetrator. PROBLEM CONTINUEDFROMPAGE1 Joe Alston 81, FBI agent and badminton champion who was the best player in the U.S. in 1955 when he became the only badminton player featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated; April 16, in Encinitas, of complications following cardiac arrest. Uranus J.

Appel ,91, bacteriologist and entrepreneur who founded the first publicly owned hospital management company and so changed medical care in the U.S.; April 20, in Playa del Rey, Calif. Norma Bernsohn 91, who pushed for one of the first Head Start programs in Chicago; April 15, in Evanston. Thomas Carmody Jr. 56, presiding judge of the Bridgeview courthouse; April 20, in Lemont, of a heart attack. Buck Dawson 87, first executive director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft.

Lauderdale; April 4, in Ft. Lauderdale, of heart failure and complications of disease. Joe Feeney 76, Nebraska- born tenor who crooned and other standards for 25 years on Lawrence Welk April 16, in Carlsbad, of emphysema. Patricia Frawley 46, winner of the 1982 Chicago St. Queen Pageant who became director of global brand development for April 18, in Orlando, apparently of aheart attack.

Thomas Humphrey 59, American luthier whose instruments were played by many renowned concert guitarists; April 16, in Gardiner, N.Y., of a heart attack. Bruce Kapp 57, Chicago native who started Celebration Concerts in early 1970s; April 21, in Los Angeles. Roland Neumaier 85, longtime township official in McHenry County and ex-railroad agent; April 20, in Wood- stock, of heart failure. Madison Nutter 77, member of the Baltimore Colts championship teams of the late 1950s; April 12, in La Plata, of a heart ailment. Susan Sanchez 72, former field naturalist at the Morton Arboretum and the Conservation Foundation in Naperville; April 19, in Park Ridge, of cancer.

Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo ,72, leading voice in defense of traditional family values and in opposition to abortion, contraception and gay marriage; April 19, in Rome, of cardiac arrest. Al Wilson 68, soul singer and songwriter who had a number of 1970s hits, including and April 21, in Fontana, of kidney failure. John Young 86, Chicago jazz pianist who collaborated with Ella Fitzgerald and many others; April 16, in Chicago, of multiple myeloma. DEATHS LAST WEEK Patricia FrawleyJoe FeeneyAl WilsonA. Lopez Trujillo Obituaries By Joan Giangrasse Kates SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE Richard L.

Taylor treasured his nearly four decades at Homewood-Flossmoor High Schoolproviding instruction and coaching swimmers. But it was his work guiding students in their in he found most rewarding, those closest to him say. job kept going long after he closed his office said Marlene, his wife of 48 years. spent time with students during after-school activities. He invited them to our house on weekends.

Years ago, before it became more a matter for police to handle, help worried parents look for missing A father of three, Mr. Taylor also was quick to lay down the law in matters concerning school rules and keeping good study habits, former students say. were just a bunch of teenage boys doing what teenage boys do, but coach Taylor knew how to handle recalled Maurice Doyle, a Homewood-Flossmoor graduate and former member of the swim team. have us toe the line, and when the time came for us to apply to colleges, he said, get the grades and then write you the letters of Mr. Taylor, 73, of Orland Park, a retired guidance counselor, boys swim coach and instructor at Homewood- Flossmoor High School, died Wednesday, April 23, in his homeafter battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year.

A South Side native, Mr. Taylor graduated from Tilden High School, where he was captain of the varsity swim team. He received a degree in education from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb before enlisting in the Army and serving for two years in Texas and Germany during the late 1950s. After his military discharge, Mr. Taylor returned to NIU, where he received a degree in education.

He worked for a while as a substitute teacher at Tilden before becoming a guidance counselor and boys swim coach at Homewood-Flossmoor in 1960. He retired in 1998, after 38 years of service. was an outstanding member of our faculty, loved and respected for so many said former colleague Laura Murray, superintendent of Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233. people lose their zest for what they do, but he never During his tenure at Homewood-Flossmoor, Mr. Taylor also taught a course in architectural drawing and drafting, family members said.

had one former student, a woman now an interior his wife said. was the only girl in the class, but he made her feel welcome. She said if it for him, probably have chosen another Described as a great listener, Mr. Taylor also was praised for his non-judgmental approach to dispensing advice to students on just about any topic. could talk to him about anything and knew be there for Doyle said.

was a genuinely caring For many years, Mr. Taylor also taught swimming at Ra- visloe Country Club in Homewood. In addition to his wife, Mr. Taylor is survived by a son, Brad; two daughters, Wendy Courtney and Lynn Schwaab; a brother, David; a sister, Janet Larkin; and eight grandchildren. Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m.

Monday in Tews Funeral Home, 18230 S. Dixie Highway, Homewood. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 18850 Riegel Homewood.

RICHARD L. TAYLOR I1934 2008 Had passion for teaching Former high school swim team captain used those skills to coach team Richard L. Taylor was an educator and coach for almost 40 years. LOS ANGELES TIMES George Butler an influential figure in the business of jazz as an man and record company executive, died April 9 at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Calif. He was 76.

Mr. Butler was diagnosed with disease in 2005 but died of multiple organ failure, his sister Jacqueline Butler Hairston said. His overall medical condition took a turn for the worse in January after he walked out of his assisted living facility in Hayward, on east San Francisco Bay, and fell in a nearby creek bed. As an man for Columbia, Mr. Butler was credited with signing Wynton and Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr.

In the years he worked for Blue Note Records before moving to Columbia, he oversaw scores of albums by jazz legends including Horace Silver, Donald Byrd, Elvin Jones and Bobby Hutcherson. He also led Blue Note in a more commercial direction with fusion artists including Earl Klugh, Ronnie Laws and Bobbi Humphrey. As he explained to critic Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune in 1993, his strategy to bring in young artists playing fusion jazz had the end result of helping the mainstream catalog. were selling major numbers of the young Mr. Butler said, that increased the sales of artists like Horace Silver and Bobby Hutcherson, Stanley Turrentine, Elvin Born Sept.

2, 1931, in Charlotte, Mr. Butler attended Howard University and received a degree in music education from Columbia University. In addition to his sister, Mr. Butler is survived by a daughter, Bethany Butler of New York. GEORGE BUTLER JR.

I1931 2008 Record exec set the tone for jazz George Butler Jr. was also influential in coaxing Miles Davis out of retirement. Product: CTMETRO PubDate: 04-27-2008 Zone: ALL Edition: BDOG Page: 4-5 User: croyer Time: Color:.