John Michael McDonough

John Michael McDonough, 81, of Chicago, Ill., devoted and loved husband, father, and friend, died May 19, 2026. A retired partner at the law firm of Sidley Austin, John was active in numerous civic and charitable organizations. Kind, generous, and outgoing, he was known as a wonderful storyteller and host. Born in Evanston, Ill., John attended New Trier High School and then Princeton University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Woodrow Wilson School and developed a lifelong interest in world affairs. After earning his law degree at Yale Law School, he went on to travel for months on a Pan Am ‘round-the-world’ ticket. He kept the stub of that ticket in his top desk drawer to remind him of the extraordinary experiences of that trip, including an audience with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at her private residence.

While serving in the U.S. Army Reserves Judge Advocate General’s Corps, John joined Sidley Austin, where he practiced law for 43 years and built a distinguished trusts and estates practice. From 1982 to 2005, he served as Legal Counsel to The Chicago Community Trust, as its endowment and impact on the city he loved grew exponentially. He advised many other philanthropic organizations, including the Wieboldt Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Graham Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He also served on the Illinois Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee that drafted the Illinois General Not-For-Profit Corporation Act of l986, reflecting his enduring influence on both the legal profession and the nonprofit sector.

John’s commitment to civic service extended beyond his legal practice. He devoted decades of leadership to some of Chicago’s leading civic and charitable groups, serving as a longtime board member and president of both the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Brain Research Foundation, as well as board member and secretary-treasurer of Leadership Greater Chicago, and a board member of the Center for American Archeology. In recognition of his contributions, he received the Princeton Club of Chicago Award for Distinguished Community Service.

Among his many interests, John enjoyed evenings at the Chicago Symphony and sang with the Great Lakes Dredge and Philharmonic Society for 20 years as it spread holiday cheer around the city. He also delighted in bringing friends together, including in later years, as a founding member of the “Geezer Lunch Club.”

Above all, his most cherished role was as the dedicated husband to Susan and father to John Eldon Moran McDonough of New York City, and Catherine Anne Moran McDonough of Washington D.C. He shared with them his vast curiosity, love of reading and everything British (especially as a devotee of Jane Austen), and his enthusiasm for family trips, always adding as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible to every itinerary. 

In addition to his wife and two children, he is survived by nieces Clara Stemwedel and Anne Rudwick of Portland, Oregon. He was preceded in death by his sister, Nancy Stemwedel and his parents John J. McDonough and Anne O'Brien McDonough. 

A memorial service is planned at 4:00 p.m. on September 14, 2026 at St Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church, 1424 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in John's memory to The Chicago Community Trust, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, or the National Ataxia Foundation