DuPage County Has Its First West Nile Virus Fatality

Lombard Village President Bill Mueller, 76, died Saturday, Aug. 18 from complications of West Nile virus, The Daily Herald is reporting. Mueller, who had been battling cancer since 2008, had been hospitalized since Aug. 5. He became the first West Nile virus fatality in DuPage County this year.

Mueller, a lifelong Lombard resident, served as village president since 1993. He began his political career in the 1950s as a member of the Lombard Safety Committee and the Lombard Youth Commission, according to the village of Lombard website. Over the years he served as village trustee, chairman of the Public Works Committee, chairman of the DuPage Community Development Commission, president of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference and co-chairman of the Glenbard Wastewater Authority.

Two other cases of West Nile virus have been reported in DuPage County, one in Downers Grove and one in Villa Park, and 10 cases have been reported in Cook County. No other fatalities have been reported in the Chicago area this year. DuPage County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control have reported this is a particularly "high risk" year for the disease.

Mueller is survived by his wife, Eileen; two daughters, Donna (Mark) Fruehe and Debbie (Keith) Rapata; and four grandchildren.

“Our father was truly a servant leader and everything he did was for others. We feel sincerely blessed. He was an amazing dad, husband and grandpa,” his daughters said in a prepared statement. “The family wants to thank everyone for the outpouring of thoughts and prayers. It has been amazing and has strengthened us to get through this difficult time.”

Funeral information was not immediately available at the time of this article's publication.