Obituaries
Obituary: William T. Kaplan
His memory will continue to inspire those whose lives he touched to lead with heart, to think deeply, and to give freely of themselves.
Obituary was published and funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory.
William T. Kaplan
William T. Kaplan of Joliet, Ill., died on May 16, 2026, at Saint Joseph's Hospital surrounded by his family. He was 85.
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Mr. Kaplan was born in Chicago, Ill., on June 7, 1940, the son of Meyer "Mickey" F. Kaplan and Eva Kaplan.
He attended Senn High School in Chicago and graduated from Grinnell College in 1961. He went on to receive an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business in 1963, and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, in 1965.
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Mr. Kaplan joined the Illinois State Commerce Commission, a state agency that regulates public utilities and transportation, in Springfield, Ill., after being admitted to the Illinois and Missouri Bar Associations.
He practiced trusts and estates law for more than 50 years, remaining an active practitioner for his clients until he retired at the age of 84.
He spent most of his career at the Joliet law firm of Thomas, Wallace, Feehan, Baron & Kaplan.
Between 1992 and 2000, he was a partner at the law firm of Davis, Kaplan, Dystrup & Hoster.
He rejoined Thomas, Wallace as of counsel and, in 2015, became a solo practitioner.
While he represented corporate clients throughout his career, his favorite clients were the families and neighbors he helped through the most personal and difficult decisions of their lives.
Mr. Kaplan was a stalwart in civic life and deeply involved in the nonprofit community in Joliet.
He served as president of the Joliet Jewish Congregation and the Greater Joliet Area YMCA.
He advised many nonprofit boards, including serving on the boards of the Joliet Historical Society, the Joliet Junior College Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties, and the Guardian Angel Community Services. He provided pro bono legal counsel to Will County Habitat for Humanity and he was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Joliet.
Mr. Kaplan was a lifelong tennis player, and he twice completed the Chicago Marathon.
He is survived by his sons Jonathan and his wife Allison (Washington, D.C.), parents of Reid; Justin and his wife Alexandra (Brooklyn, N.Y.); and Jordan and his wife Jennifer (Bethesda, Md.), parents of Benjamin, Harper, and Everette, as well as his partner of more than 20 years, Lisa Moral Las, and his former wife, Judith Tatel Kaplan.
He is predeceased by his beloved daughter and Jordan’s twin, Alison (1981), and his sister, Lorraine (1970).
Among his many charitable contributions, Mr. Kaplan established an endowment, the Alison Debra Kaplan Foundation, in memory of his daughter, at the Joliet Jewish Congregation.
Above all, he was honest, generous, kind, and caring — devoted to his family, his partner Lisa, and the community he called home for more than half a century.
Funeral services will take place at the Joliet Jewish Congregation at 1:00pm on May 20, Wednesday, with a burial service to follow at Mount Moriah Cemetery, 1311 Clement Street, Joliet, Ill., 60435.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Joliet Jewish Congregation and indicate that you would like to allocate your donation to the Alison Debra Kaplan Foundation.
For more information, please call (815) 741-5500 or visit his Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com, where you can share a favorite memory or leave a condolence.
