Mayor of south suburban Steger dies

STEGER, Ill. — The mayor of a village in the south suburbs died suddenly on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Village of Steger announced Tuesday that Mayor Kenneth A. Peterson Jr. died on Monday, leaving behind his wife, four children and a grandchild.

Peterson, a lifelong Steger resident, had served as the village president since May of 2013 but held several positions in the village prior to the role, including Village Trustee, Chairperson of the Village of Steger’s Economic Development Committee, Chairman of Steger’s Board of Fire & Police Commissioners.

Peterson also coached the Steger Recreational Basketball team and was involved in the Boy Scouts of America and Steger Kiwanis.

Currently, it is unclear what led to Peterson’s death.

“We are deeply saddened to share that Mayor Kenneth A. Peterson Jr. passed away suddenly on Monday, September 16, 2024. He is survived by his wife, Alice, and their four children: Kaitlyn Bilotta, Alex (Jackie) Peterson, Randall Peterson, and Cameron Peterson, as well as his grandchildren Mia and Luna. To his grandchildren, he was known as Pop, and Allie is Loli. On any given day, you could see Ken and Allie walking around Steger together, enjoying a local event, or just out talking with the community,” a village spokesperson said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Alongside his role as Steger mayor, Peterson was also a partner of the law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP in Chicago.

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