Lake Bluff Obituary: Winston Fliess, 91

Winston S. Fliess, Jr., 91, of Lake Bluff, IL passed away October 26, 2020 at his home with his wife, Virginia, and beloved dogs at his side. Winston was both August 14, 1929 in Bronxville, NY, the son of Winston and Margaret (Kimmerle) Fliess. Because of his father’s career, the family lived in various parts of the country during Winston’s early years, eventually settling on the upper east side of Manhattan. He graduated from Trinity School and Columbia University in New York and began a long career in the industrial liquid handling field. In 1953, he married Dorothy W. Child and that union produced 4 children: the late Cynthia Scheel of Libertyville, IL, the late Salli Lindner of Lake Worth, FL, Winston Fliess III of Boynton Beach, FL and JoAnn Flisek of Aurora, CO. In 1963, the marriage dissolved, and Winston took a position with Liquid Controls Corporation of North Chicago, IL and relocated to the Chicago area. At LC, he met his future wife, Virginia (Saari), they married in 1965 and began building their forever home in Lake Bluff, IL, overlooking the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan.

Win embraced all facets of life and was always up to trying new things. As he liked to say, he was not championship caliber in any of his avocations but better than average at many. In college he was good enough at baseball to receive a professional team tryout as a pitcher with the then St. Louis Browns. He was an accomplished fly fisherman, a decent amateur magician, an enthusiastic consumer of and participant in traditional jazz, good photographer, golfer, skier, woodworker, and 20+ year polo player. He and Virginia spent many years traveling the world and seeing the US from their motorhome, stockpiling wonderful memories that he could enjoy during his later, less mobile years.

Winston leaves behind his loving wife of 55 years, two surviving children, eight grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, two totally spoiled English Springer Spaniels and a 40-year-old painted turtle.

Because of Covid, interment will be private and celebration of life will be delayed until spring. Info: Wenban Funeral Home (847) 234-0022 or www.wenbanfh.com