Funeral Details

Dale Gordon, 78, passed away on August 10, 2026 surrounded by his family after a ten year battle with leukemia and a 40 year battle waiting for the Bears to win a second Super Bowl. For nine of those ten years, the disease barely slowed him down, and he kept living life exactly as he wanted.

Dale’s early life was defined by a love of playing sports, watching the White Sox at Comiskey, the Bears at Wrigley, and sitting up late at night with his dad Hank while they studied and did their paperwork together, respectively.

After college at UIC, Dale worked on Eugene McCarthy’s political campaign and demonstrated in Grant Park at the ‘68 convention, and then attended Northwestern Law School. Dale spent his career as a corporate attorney in Chicago where he worked in-house at Playboy for more than a decade. After leaving what his children naively referred to as “the bunny company,” he worked at the next most logical place, the children’s publisher Golden Books, and then the textbook publisher Wolters Kluwer.

Dale carried on the memory of his own father through their mutual love of paperwork and his extreme devotion to the needs and happiness of his family, never hesitating to put them above himself. Dale enjoyed playing endless games of catch with all three of his golden doodles: Willie, Nellie, and Sammie. He loved going on annual vacations to Sanibel Island and Northern Michigan with family and friends, competing on the world championship Uno circuit, lying to his gullible children about the existence of said world championship Uno circuit, telling long corny jokes, cursing out the Packers, and MCing the trivia and newlywed games that he and his wife Diane hosted at their annual New Year’s Eve party.

Dale and Diane spent their last six years watching the Sox, Bears, and Fever together and hosting visits from their kids and grandkids at their dream home on the Chesapeake Bay. His last great love in life was becoming a Papa to his beautiful grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his devoted parents Evelyn and Hank and his pet parrot, Warren. He is survived by his loving wife Diane Giuliani, his children Hal and Gabby, his children-in-law Kelsey and Dan, his grandchildren Charlotte, Jonah, and Henry, his fake brother, Sammy, who lives in the basement (who Evelyn always threatened to replace him with when he was misbehaving), and the 43 different quarterbacks the Chicago Bears have started since last winning the Super Bowl.

Dale’s memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 16th, 2026 – his and Diane’s 40th wedding anniversary. Internment will begin at 10:30 am at Westlawn Cemetery (Westlake Section), 7801 West Montrose, Norridge. The memorial service will take place at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851. Skokie Boulevard (at Niles Center Road), Skokie at 12:00 pm. The family will be hosting a shiva immediately thereafter, from 1:00 - 6:00 pm in the Chicago Jewish Funerals Skokie Chapel..

To attend the Memorial service livestream, please visit our website.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in honor of Dale Gordon may be made to: Blood Cancer United - Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - Donor Services, PO Box 98018, Washington, DC 20090, www.bloodcancerunited.org or 877.557.7177.

Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com