Highland Park parade shooting victim Stephen Straus ‘tried to live every day to its fullest’

At 88, Stephen Straus looked forward to each day.

He worked full-time as a financial adviser and was “the oldest member of the staff” at the Stifel investment firm, according to his son Peter Straus.

Mr. Straus walked to Metra, biked and loved watching the birds and squirrels around his home in Highland Park. He was a frequent visitor to the Art Institute and often attended Friday night concerts by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was quick with a quip, and his favorite movie was “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

His death in the shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade cut short a man who “loved life and tried to live every day to its fullest,” his son said, “and was generous and kind.”

Mr. Straus grew up on the South Side of Chicago, a grandson of German immigrants. He attended a Hyde Park-area high school and Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

In September, he and his wife Linda, whom he met in Chicago, would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, their son said.

Mr. Straus was a generous and knowledgeable mentor to others, according to financial columnist Terry Savage, who said he was helpful with advice when she was starting out as a stockbroker.

“He was so smart and so funny,” Savage said. “Anyone that had him as a financial adviser was lucky. He was current and witty and always had a pithy comment about the stock market.

“He was in the business of giving financial advice for over 50 years, and he hadn’t lost a step,” she said. “He was wise, and he had perspective, and he was calm in times of panic.”

Mr. Straus also is survived by his son Jonathan, brother Larry and four grandchildren.