PHOTO FROM BEARS Official website.
In recent news, Chicago Bears team Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey passed away at the age of 102.
Mrs. McCaskey has served as the owner of the Bears since her father and team founder, George S. Halas, passed away in 1983.
“While we are sad, we are comforted knowing Virginia Halas McCaskey lived a long, full, faith-filled life and is now with the love of her life on earth,” the family said. “She guided the Bears for four decades and based every business decision on what was best for Bears players, coaches, staff and fans.”
Over the last 41-plus years, Mrs. McCaskey continued the steadfast mission set forth by her father to uphold the values of the City of Chicago, its people and its fans. Mrs. McCaskey understood, not only her father’s love and appreciation of football and the team which he played for, coached and owned, but also the love of the Chicago Bears by its fans.
She always kept in mind what the Bears meant to the City of Chicago and what the city meant to the Bears. She had a passion for the team that matched her father’s, celebrating every win with grace while quietly suffering every loss. She made it a point to attend every game she could, both home and away, and was alive for eight of the Bears nine World Championships.
As owner of the team, Mrs. McCaskey oversaw the franchise’s ninth World Championship and first Super Bowl title in 1985. Installing the values of faith and family in every person she met, not just her own family, was the essence of her life’s work. Mrs. McCaskey stated she never felt like a qualified football mind but focused on supporting others to do the best job for the club, team and its fan base.
She wanted to help everyone who touched the organization, staff, coaches, players and fans, realize they were all a part of one big family. Mrs. McCaskey hoped that Bears fans had as much faith in the team as she did in them.
Through it all, Mrs. McCaskey couldn’t imagine her life as anything else than what it was. She was born to Min and George Halas in 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the oldest of two children, along with her younger brother, George S. “Mugs” Halas, Jr. Mrs. McCaskey recognized difficult and unpopular decisions sometimes had to be made but trusted that conviction would guide all those involved through difficult times. She watched first-hand as the league started from a struggling sports business to America’s most popular sport, valuing her family’s friendships with other team owners including the Mara family, the Rooney family, the Bidwill family and the Brown family. Mrs. McCaskey had 10 plus children, eight sons and three daughters. She is survived by her sons – Patrick (Gretchen), Edward Jr. (Kathy), George (Barbara), Richard, Brian (Barbara) and Joseph – and daughters Ellen (Barney) Tonquest, Mary and Anne (Mike) Catron. Her husband passed away in 2003.
Their son, Timothy, passed in 2011 and Michael passed in 2020. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
(Information courtesy of Chicago Bears PR).
