Hubert David Duren, 92 of Arlington Heights, IL passed away on April 3, 2026,
surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Stacyville, IA on February 13, 1934, to
John and Mary Duren. He was the 9th of 11 children.
Hugh is preceded in death by his parents, 3 sisters; Madeline, Priscilla, and Olga, 6
brothers; Gerald, Stephen, Elijah, Rafael, John Jr., Joseph, and his son in law John
Albers.
He is survived by his brother Otto (Joyce) Duren; his wife, Barbara and 4 children:
Laurie Albers, Brad (Maria) Duren, Linda Glenn and Lisa McQueen; 10 grandchildren,
Kayla (Tim) Hranka, John Jr. (Halley) Albers, Matthew (Samantha) Duren, Michael
Duren, Steven (Dani) Campbell, Marshal Glenn, Taylor Glenn, Samantha McQueen,
Kelly McQueen, and Chloe McQueen; 8 great grandchildren, Timmy and Avery Hranka,
Rosalia and Eleanor Duren, Lily, Hugh, and Nora and Neil Campbell.
Hugh attended Loras College in Dubuque, IA, where he studied Business. He was
active in Glee Club and Chorus; he also ran Track and Field. His summer jobs during
college included driving the Book Mobile and delivering feed to local farms. It was this
that led him to fall in love with the Dubuque area. Hugh graduated from Loras in 1956
and ventured off to Fort Lewis in the state of Washington to serve in the US Army for 4
years.
On April 12, 1958, Hugh married his sweetheart Barbara Prehatney of Austin, MN.
Together they started a family in Sycamore, IL where he worked at Dekalb Ogle
telephone company while pursuing his master’s degree in economics, at Northern
Illinois University. In 1968 Hugh accepted a management position at Illinois Bell
telephone company in Chicago, so they moved to Arlington Heights where they resided
for over 58 years. Hugh went on to become the CEO of ITAC, a company created to
provide phone services for the hearing impaired.
Hugh was raised on a rural farm in Northern IA and learned to hunt and fish at a very
young age. He bought his first rifle at 12 years of age with the money he made trapping
pocket gophers. For the next 80 years Hugh honed his sharp shooting skills. His love of
nature and the outdoors was evident in everything he did. He enjoyed hunting deer in
the fall, searching for Morel mushrooms in the spring, and roaming the gravel roads and
fields for pheasants and grouse. Hugh’s real passion, however, was fishing. He LOVED
to fish!
In 1978 he purchased a summer cabin on Lake Arbutus in Hatfield, WI. After his
retirement he spent nearly every summer diligently harassing every species of fish in
the lake. Winters proved to be great time for family trips, visiting friends in Florida and,
of course, fishing. He loved ocean fishing because he never knew what he would catch.
Hugh always hoped his children would find pure joy and serenity in what was his
favorite hobby. He spent countless hours teaching anyone who wanted to learn, not only
how to catch fish but also how to filet them. Hugh’s eyes would light up, along with a big
grin when anyone would come in with a catch. He always wanted a detailed fishing
report.
Playing cards and a game of bean bags with family and friends were also favorite past
times of Hugh’s. He enjoyed Poker, Euchre, Bridge, Pinochle, and Cribbage and was
known for frequently throwing 4 ringers in a game of bean bags. He enjoyed music and
loved to dance; his nickname was The Dancing Bear. If ever there was a good country
song playing, he would take your hand and spin you on the dance floor. Hugh was very
athletic and a lumberjack by trade in his youth: he enjoyed attending his children and
grandchildren’s sporting events, he was very proud of their achievements.
We will dearly miss Hugh’s incredible memory, keen intellect and wealth of knowledge,
but his stories will forever live on. We know one thing for sure, the crappies in Lake
Arbutus are breathing a sigh of relief!
Visitation will take place on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at
Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, 60004.
An additional visitation will take place on Friday, April 17, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00
am with funeral services beginning at 11:00 am at Torgerson’s Funeral Home, 408 N.
Water St., Black River Falls, WI 54615. Interment will immediately follow at Hatfield
Cemetery in Hatfield, WI with a luncheon at the Inwood Supper Club.
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