Obituary
Samuel "Peppy" Pfeffer, Esq. was born on June 16, 1926, in Spring Valley, IL. The son of Paul and Gertrude (nee. Buckman) Pfeffer, he was raised by his mother and his aunt and uncle, Miriam and Maurice Buckman. He attended Hall High School, but left school to join the Navy at age 18. After his service, he attended Northwestern University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Following college, he returned to Spring Valley, where he worked in the family furniture business for two years, before moving to Chicago to attend DePaul University's College of Law. While in Chicago, he met Paula Freedman, a history doctoral student at Northwestern University. They wed in 1951 and moved to Wilmette, Ill., in 1964, where they raised their three daughters. Upon graduation from DePaul and passing the bar exam, Mr. Pfeffer began to practice law. He became partners with Gene Becker and Ralph Gabric, a partnership that lasted more than 30 years. Mr. Pfeffer left the firm in 1980 and bought Old Orchard Chevrolet. He continued to practice law from an office at the dealership, which he owned until he sold it back to Chevrolet in 1994, retaining ownership of the property on which it was located. Always interested in new business opportunities, in 1993, Mr. Pfeffer bought into ownership of the Clios, an international competition to recognize excellence in advertising. For the next five years, he traveled throughout the world on behalf of the Clios, meeting leading advertising executives from countries including Hong Kong, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Malaysia and Singapore. He sold his interest in 1998. As busy as Mr. Pfeffer was with his legal practice and businesses, he devoted much time to volunteer work as well. He served as President of Beth Hillel Congregation of Wilmette and President of the Northwest Synagogue Council. He traveled to Israel multiple times. His staunch commitment to Judaism led him on a unique journey. After reading in a Hadassah magazine about the B'nei Menashe, Jews in India, who didn't have a Torah scroll, Mr. Pfeffer took it upon himself to raise money to procure a scroll, have it made kosher by a scribe and take it to them. His journey was the subject of a documentary film and he was greeted as a hero by the community to which the Torah was donated. His community service began early and wasn't limited to Jewish causes. Even before he went to law school, he set up a baseball league for nine- to 13-year-old boys in Spring Valley and took the players to a White Sox-Yankees double-header, where they were able to watch Joe DiMaggio play. He remained an avid fan of Chicago sports teams, and enjoyed watching the 2016 Cubs World Series championship at the age of 90. Mr. Pfeffer was a trustee of Columbia College Chicago. There, he established a contest for political cartoonists in honor of his wife. The annual Paula F. Pfeffer and Cheryl Johnson-Odim Political Cartoon Contest awards Columbia College winning students both a certificate and a monetary prize. In addition, he established a scholarship that enables minority students with disabilities to attend the college tuition-free for four years. Mr. Pfeffer was also a longtime supporter of Shore Rehabilitation, helping them raise $400,000 to build a workshop where adults and children with disabilities can learn life skills. Mr. Pfeffer was predeceased by his wife, Paula, and is survived by his three daughters, Beth Fraum (Harold Cooper), Cara Galper and Diana Martin (Carlos), along with 8 grandchildren, Briana, Sara, Ari, Zachary, Adam, Nicole, Dianarose (Sammy Blivaiss), and Carolynn. Graveside service Thursday, 1:00 PM at Waldheim Cemetery-Gate 54, 1400 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park. Memorial service at 3:30 PM at Beth Hillel Bnai Emunah, 3220 Big Tree Lane, Wilmette. Donations may be made to Beth Hillel B'nai Emunah, www.bhbe.org or Shore Community Services, www.shoreservices.org. For information and to leave condolences: Shalom Memorial Funeral Home (847) 255-3520 or www.shalom2.com