Hoffman Estates mourns longtime Trustee Michael Gaeta

It is with great sadness that the Village of Hoffman Estates announces the passing of longtime Trustee Michael Gaeta. He was 86.

A Veteran of the U.S. Army and an expert pilot, Trustee Gaeta was first elected to the Hoffman Estates Village Board in 2013 and was subsequently re-elected in 2017 and 2021. As Trustee, Gaeta served as Chairman of the Village's Public Health and Safety Committee, was Co-chair of the Village Green Ad-Hoc Committee, served as the Village's representative on the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, and was a member of the Village's Commission for Senior Citizens.

Prior to serving on the Village Board, Trustee Gaeta served on the Village's Planning and Zoning Commission for three years and Zoning Board of Appeals for five years.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Trustee Gaeta joined the Army after graduation from high school and was stationed in Germany for two-and-a-half years. He and his wife Johanna married in 1960, and have four children, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Trustee Gaeta held an Associate Degree from Fenn Community College in Cleveland.

Trustee Gaeta was a longtime member the Civil Air patrol, rising up through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel, where he was in charge of search and rescue missions. Gaeta owned his own airplane and was an instrument-rated pilot.

After retiring from a career in food service, Trustee Gaeta, along with Johanna, found post-retirement work as owner and operator of three distributorships for Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating. Trustee Gaeta was the Past President of the Illinois Chapter Food Service Executives Association, Past Board member of the National Association of Catering Executives, Past Board member of the Waukegan Regional Airshow, and a past president of the Haverford Place Homeowners' Association in Hoffman Estates.

Visitation and funeral arrangements are pending.