Congressman Sidney Yates, representing Illinois's 9th congressional district, in 1996, and John Schmidt's failed gubernatorial bid in 2002. In 2010, Netsch endorsed Dan Hynes in the Democratic primary for Illinois Governor, Julie Hamos in the 10th congressional district primary, David H. Hoffman in the US Senate primary and Toni Preckwinkle in the Cook County Board President primary. All but Preckwinkle failed to win the party's nomination. Netsch was married to architect Walter Netsch, best known for his design of the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, for 45 years until his death in 2008. Netsch died in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday, March 5, 2013, at age 86. She had publicly acknowledged shortly before, in January 2013, during a discussion on Illinois priorities (given the state's well-known fiscal situation and reform needs), that she was suffering from the degenerative neurological condition Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS). Governor Patrick Quinn gave the order to fly all Illinois flags at half-mast until Sunset, March 16, 2013, in her honor. Awards Dawn Clark Netsch was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State’s highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2011 in the area of Government & Law. References External links Dawn Clark Netsch on Politics Interview by Chicago Life Magazine Obituary |- 1926 births 2013 deaths Deaths from motor neuron disease 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians Candidates in the 1994 United States elections Comptrollers of Illinois Illinois lawyers Democratic Party Illinois state senators Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Politicians from Chicago Politicians from Cincinnati Women state legislators in Illinois People associated with Covington & Burling Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law faculty 20th-century American lawyers American women academics 21st-century American women Inductees of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame