Longtime Elgin community activist Danise Habun, 68, died unexpectedly over the weekend, friends said.
“She was my ‘shero,’ a staunch advocate for social justice,” friend Carroll Ann Bailey said. “Danise and I got into as much good trouble as possible. … The many organizations and events she advocated for and attended will be missing a part of their heart.”
Bailey said Habun had been receiving chemotherapy cancer treatments for the last two years. The two were to go to a Kiwanis event Saturday but when she couldn’t reach her, she asked the police department to do a check, she said. Officers found Habun deceased, she said.
“I hope we find a good home for her big dog Barkley, and I pray that we all tell our friends and loved ones that we love them daily,” Bailey said.
No funeral or memorial service arrangements had been made as of Monday, friends said.
State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, said Habun fiercely loved Elgin. She recalled meeting Habun when Castro was a first-time candidate for the Kane County Board.
“Danise was a firecracker, but had a warm and generous spirit,” Castro said. “She was very involved with many local nonprofit organizations like Open Door and YWCA, to name but two. She loved giving back to our community and she will be deeply missed.”
Friends said Habun moved to Elgin from Milwaukee about 40 years ago for a job, and soon became part of the activist community. She would frequently return to Wisconsin to visit her mother and other family members, they said.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Habun had a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with an emphasis on women’s studies.
Gretchen Vapnar, former executive director of the Community Crisis Center, said Habun once worked there as a legal advocate.
“When a victim had Danise by her side in court, she could be assured of a clear, strong and unstoppable voice,” Vapnar said.
It was difficult for Habun to abide ignorance or understand the reluctance to speak up, Vapnar said, but she was always understanding and kind.
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“She was determined to find and speak the truth. To be her friend was to be challenged and to be appreciated,” she said. “Danise was a fighter who always took on the biggest challenges — racism, human rights, even the most difficult dog, Barkley.”
Elgin City Councilwoman Tish Powell said there are few people who have been as dedicated to Elgin as Habun. She demonstrated her love through her service to the community, serving on numerous local nonprofit and city-related boards over the past several decades, Powell said.
“She was a bold and fierce advocate for those in our community whose voices aren’t always heard,” she said. “You never had to guess what Danise was thinking, where she stood on an issue, or even if she liked you. That was one of the many qualities that I respected and appreciated about her.”
Habun wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, even if it meant ruffling feathers, she added.
“But Danise was not just about talk. She was a true leader who took action,” Powell said. “She selflessly committed her time, energy and talents to the many causes that she supported in our community.”
Those included the YWCA, Open Door Clinic, Elgin Community Task Force on Policing, Elgin’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast and Food Drive, Elgin Pride, Elgin Hispanic Network, African-American Coalition of Kane County, Elgin’s Human Relations Commission and many others, Powell said.
“Danise was committed to ensuring racial justice, equity, fairness and inclusion in our community,” she said. ”Her passing is an immense loss of leadership, institutional knowledge and advocacy in our community. But for me personally, I’ve lost someone that I loved and have counted as a dear friend for many years.”
Erik Anderson, founder and president of The Healthy Non-Profit, called Habun “everyone’s big sister,” and said “the community is going to feel the impact of this loss for a long time. I know I certainly will.”
Every election season, Habun would volunteer and help organize political campaigns, Anderson said. She also worked for a time with Hanover Township as the executive director of its Mental Health Board, he said, and fought tirelessly to establish a similiar board in Elgin Township.
“One of Danise’s many pet projects has been the city of Elgin’s MLK Prayer Breakfast,” Anderson said. “Over the last 20 years, she had been involved in every aspect of this event,” noting that Habun spoke at last week’s Elgin City Council meeting to advocate for the city to keep sponsoring the annual January event.
Anderson said he personally recruited Habun to help him with fundraising events and campaigns on many occasions, and she frequently exceeded financial goals.
“Fundraising volunteers like Danise are hard to find and recruit,” he said.
In the days prior to her death, Habun was working to secure a location for Open Door Health Center’s Chocolate Drop Drag Benefit Brunch, scheduled for Nov. 2, and raising funds to help the YWCA Elgin replace one of its broken air conditioning compressors, Anderson said.
She was retired at the time of her death but being paid for her work for Open Door. Perry Maier, the organization’s executive director, said Habun had been helping the nonprofit for almost three years.
“Danise was a planner and a doer,” he said. “She was a friend, mentor and colleague. She will be missed by me as well as the social service and social justice community. … Danise was an advocate for those who are marginalized. Her voice was fierce and got things done.”
Aside from projects with local nonprofits and causes, Habun was devote to her dogs, including the late dog “Mac the Wonder Dog” and her current dog, Barkley, who could be a handful and knew how to open a refrigerator, Anderson said. She would also pet sit for friends over the years.
“Beyond our professional relationship, Danise was a dear friend as she was to hundreds of others through the Elgin community. When I needed advice, Danise was always there. When I needed support, she never failed to show up,” Anderson said.
That included Habun being there for him when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, despite going through cancer treatments herself, he said.
“She provided a shoulder that I cried upon. She was a quiet listener. She was an insightful advice provider. I drew confidence from her strength,” he said.
That was the case for Congregation Kneseth Israel Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein too.
Frisch Klein was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, and found solace in talking with Habun about the disease as well as their mutual love of dogs.
“Danise was also all about mentoring young leaders,” she said. “I saw her doing that time and time again.”
Habun embodied the Hebrew word “hineni,” which means “here I am,” the rabbi said.
“It also conveys a sense that, OK, I’m still here, so let’s make the world a better place. That’s why we’re here,” Frisch Klein said.
Longtime friend and fellow activist Danielle Henson said Habun was very good at getting things done and was a powerful force with whom to partner.
“You can’t calculate the impact the loss of Danise will have on the numerous organizations with which she was involved,” Henson said.
She said she hoped someone might organize a day of service in Elgin in honor of Habun, which she noted would be a “fitting tribute.”
In a YouTube video interview from when Habun won the 2024 Elgin Community College Foundation Lasting Impact Award, Habun said her community involvement allowed her to get to know people she might otherwise not have met. It taught her to keep an open mind, she said.
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“You have to have a vision of what you want to do,” Habun said. “You have to take a risk in going out and doing it. And then you have to accept the consequences of what your actions are. Your life becomes richer. Your life becomes fuller. And you have a whole lot more fun.”
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.