Memorial Fund for Brian Davis, Support for Penny and Ada

We are heartbroken to share the news of Brian's passing after his valiant battle against ALS. In this unimaginably difficult time, we are coming together to support Brian's wife, Katy, and their two little girls, Ada and Penny. While no amount of money can ease the pain of loss, your donation--no matter how small--will help support Katy, Ada, and Penny as they navigate life without Brian.

All donations raised will be transferred directly to Katy to help pay for Brian's funeral and future expenses relating to Ada and Penny.

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Brian Killeen Davis, Oct. 25, 1986 – Jan. 27, 2025

Following a valiant two-and-a-half year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Brian Killeen Davis, 38, passed away on January 27, 2025, at his home in Hinsdale, Illinois, surrounded by his loving family.

Born October 25, 1986, in Evanston, Illinois, Brian was a 2005 graduate of New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He continued his education at the University of Michigan Law School where he graduated in 2014. It was in Ann Arbor that Brian met his law school classmate and future wife, Katy McNeil originally of Wheeling, WV and currently of Hinsdale.

The couple married in 2016 and began their legal careers and family in Chicago. Before retiring, Brian served as Assistant General Counsel for the global investment bank Lincoln International following stints as an associate attorney at the Chicago offices of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP.

An attentive, devoted husband and father, Brian’s beautiful smile could light up a room but shined brightest in the presence of his daughters Ada Virginia, 4, and Penny Killeen, 1.

An avid hockey aficionado, he followed and played the sport throughout his youth and continued to enjoy the game as a member of the Michigan Law club team. Before law school, he worked as a minor hockey league official and kept the rink tidy at the University of Illinois by driving the Zamboni.

Brian’s talents and passions extended beyond the ice to the kitchen where he could be found cultivating his culinary skills in search of the perfect scratch pizza or smoked meat recipe. It was no secret that he loved cooking and traveling the world and he was known to seek out the best local pizza joints wherever he and Katy roamed. No matter how many types of pizza he tried and relished, Chicago-style deep dish was his favorite. A voracious reader of fantasy novels, Brian also enjoyed vintage video and arcade games and comic books.

From his time in Ann Arbor, he was a massive Michigan Wolverines fan and proudly witnessed the 2024 Michigan football Rose Bowl win alongside Katy, his brother Chris and father Bob in Pasadena. He didn’t only support winning teams however, as he was also a lifelong Blackhawks and Bears fan.

Brian’s kind and generous spirit was evident throughout his life, particularly in his pro bono work with individuals at Equip for Equity in Chicago and in his active fundraising efforts for Chicago’s Les Turner ALS Foundation. He and Katy were recently chosen to receive the Foundation’s 2025 Hope through Caring award for their incredible efforts to bring awareness and raise funds for ALS research and support programs.

With his signature determination, he sought out and participated in various ALS clinical trials and research opportunities after receiving his diagnosis. In his final most selfless act, Brian donated his brain to the University of Maryland for neurological disease research purposes.

Along with his wife and daughters, Brian is survived by his mother and one of his most selfless caregivers, Eva Brandfass Davis of Hinsdale; father Robert Davis of Sarasota, FL, brother Chris (Miriam) Davis of Sarasota, FL; mother and father-in-law Kathy and Mickey McNeil of Wheeling, WV and many additional family members and friends across the country.

A private service will be held at Sullivan Funeral in Hinsdale and a larger celebration of life event is planned on March 15 at the Lodge at Katherine Legge Memorial Park in Hinsdale.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to this memorial fund which is set up for Brian's wife and daughters, or to the Les Turner ALS Foundation in Brian’s name.