Fox Valley notable deaths of 2009
A look back at some of the notable deaths of 2009 in the Fox Valley:
• Marty Jordan of St. Charles gave his life saving those of others. The 45-year-old St. Charles man drowned in August while rescuing a group of struggling children, including his son and niece, from strong waves and riptides in Lake Michigan near South Haven, Mich.
• Geneva High School students were stunned by two deaths this year: senior Johnathon McNeil in February, and freshman Michael Kimmer in November.
McNeil died of natural causes associated with or brought on by sepsis. He was hospitalized the day before his death.
Hundreds of schoolmates attended his wake and funeral, including opponents from other schools' football teams. McNeil played left tackle for the Vikings.
Hundreds of people kept vigil on a Facebook page devoted to Michael Kimmer while he was hospitalized for nearly a week. No cause of death was announced.
• The residents of Woodland Hills Road in Batavia could set their clocks by the regularity with which neighbor David Long took his dog for an early-morning walk. But on July 29, both their lives were cut short, as they were hit by a car.
The driver, 24-year-old Edward O. Cook of Batavia, sits in the Kane County jail, awaiting trial on charges of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence, as well as several traffic charges.
• Drinking and drug use are suspected in the death of Cameron Godee, 17, of West Chicago. Godee was a passenger in a car driven by fellow St. Charles East graduate Onofrio Lorusso June 14 that hit two trees along Royal Fox Drive. Lorusso faces charges of reckless homicide, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of drugs and driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs.
• Ashley Souba, 19, of Batavia, died Aug. 13. She fought leukemia for seven years, and was a steadfast fundraiser for cancer research, speaking at events such as the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. In 2007, her classmates named her homecoming queen.
• Former Elgin city councilman Mike Powers killed himself Dec. 7. He had served from April 2007 to August 2008, before resigning because he had violated the city's ethics code by failing to disclose a prior business relationship with the Chicago Bandits softball team. The team was negotiating a deal with the city.
Powers was a longtime Elgin resident and 1975 graduate of Elgin High School, where he played basketball for legendary coach Bill Chesbrough. He later wrote a book about Elgin and his memories of growing up in the city: "All-American Stories: Elgin Myths and Memories."
• A May 23 crash near Elburn took the lives of motorcyclists Wade and Denise Thomas of St. Charles, and enraged motorcycling enthusiasts. The Thomas were riding as part of a group heading north on Route 47 on a sunny morning when a southbound motorist hit another car in front of her that was stopped waiting for a car in front of it to make a left turn. The middle car was knocked into the Thomases' lane. The crash is still under investigation, and charges have not been brought against the driver.
• East Dundee businessman Thom McNamee died in June. McNamee, who owned East Dundee establishments including Bandito Barney's Beach Club and Rosie O'Hare's Public House, died at 56 from a brain tumor. He was credited with transforming the village's downtown area, revitalizing and redeveloping much of River street west of Route 72.
He was also recalled for the joie de vive he shared with his twin brother, the late Tim McNamee. Tim was murdered in 1987. Hewing to his brother's wishes, Thom threw a lavish party instead of a weeping wake, including having Tim resting on a Corvette. For Thom's funeral, his family asked mourners to wear Hawaiian shirts and shorts, the ex-model's preferred garb.
• Russell Witek, 14, of Geneva, died March 29 of a malignant brain tumor. It was his second bout with cancer; he had leukemia when he was 4.
Russell liked to serve others, believing that was the way to show love to them, as part of his Christian faith, according to his uncle, Gregory Witek. He mowed yards, cleaned houses and went on mission trips for Christ Community Church of St. Charles.
"The only thing that ever kept Russell down was physically not being able to participate. And I don't mean physically 'not feeling like it.' I mean being connected to tubes or bags or machines or confined to the hospital. If he was free of these things, he was in the game," Gregory Witek said.
• Nancy Schultz, 69, of Geneva, died in a house fire in March.
• Harold Hall, a former Batavia Park District commissioner for 14 years, died Sept. 20. He ran Quarry Beach well before there was a park district in town, and it was named after him.
• David Stone went from protecting the basket for Irving Crown High School to protecting the nation's transportation system as the assistant director of the Transportation Security Administration. Stone died in November. He was 57.
President George W. Bush appointed Stone to head the TSA. In that role, Stone was responsible for the country's transit system, which includes mass transit, rail, highway, pipeline, maritime and aviation. He remained in the role for 18 months until June 2005. Stone spent 28 years with the Navy, rising to the rank of rear admiral.
• Don Blanken, one of the last known surviving members of the 1938 state champion Dundee Community High School boys basketball team, died in October at age 89. Blanken was inducted to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, more than 40 years after leading the 1937-38 Dundee Community High School team past Reed-Custer High School for the school's only boys basketball state trophy. Blanken was then inducted as an inaugural member of the "Sweet Sixteen" Dundee-Crown Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
• Dick Lovett, former West Dundee police chief died in August from what friends described as complications from spinal surgery. The 28-year police veteran was 70.
Lovett retired from the police department eight years ago, but fellow police officers say he was never far away. He was known to stop by the station to give old colleagues advice and young officers guidance. Lovett was instrumental in the development of the Quadcom 911 emergency call center, which serves East and West Dundee, Carpentersville, Sleepy Hollow and Barrington.
• Former Elgin police chief Robert Baird, who died in September at age 80, was recalled as a stickler for honesty and propriety, to the point of giving away a fruit basket given to him when he had a heart attack in his 40s. He began his career in the Waukesha County, Wis. sheriff's department, before coming to Elgin in 1972.
• Ruby Frank started Frank's Employment, one of the Fox Valley's most pre-eminent agencies, in 1957, and nurtured its growth for 46 years, before retiring. She died April 11 at age 88.
"She was just a real pioneer in an era when women were thought of to take a back seat," said St. Charles Mayor Don DeWitte. "She refused to do it, and the community and every organization she was a part of is better off because of it."
• Judge James F. Quetsch, a former Kane County judge and Illinois Appellate Court justice known for his good nature and legal precision, died in January at 75.
• Cary Trustee Steve Adams, 53, was known in town for his biting humor and a big heart. Weeks after he was re-elected to a second term on the village board, he died in April of an apparent heart attack.
The popular trustee helped make public safety a priority in the town that had seen a spate of gang-related vandalism in late 2008.
As a member of the Cary-Grove Crime Stoppers, Adams secured money for 54 light bulbs to repel gang activity from the Arrowhead Subdivision.
The "gentle giant" as he was called in town, also headed the village's public safety committee that organized a community meeting to discuss the uptick in gang activity - a meeting that drew more than 100 people.
Adams also knew how to have a great time, and was adamant about setting money aside for the town's motorcycle program.
As part of the program, the village bought Harley Davidson motorcycles that police ride in public events to give them an extra touch.
Adams is survived by Karen, his wife of 30 years and three sons.
The village also renamed the light bulb program in his honor.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=346995">Northwest suburban notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=347021">Fox Valley notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=346983">DuPage County notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=346909">Lake County's notable deaths of 2009 <span class="date">[12/29/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>