Stephen Sochotsky
Stephen M. Sochotsky, 54, of Bloomington, passed away on 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 14 at his residence.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday at his daughters home at 2165 Heather Ridge Drive, Normal. Cremation rites have been accorded. Memorials may be made to the American Society for the Preventuion of Cruelty to Animals. Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home in Bloomington is assisting the family with arrangements.
Stephen was born on Nov. 10, 1960 in Leland, Mississippi, a son of Leonard M. And Freddie Brown Sochotsky. He married Cheryl Swiggum on Feb. 14, 1988 in Monroe, La.
Surviving is his wife, Cheryl Sochotsky of Bloomington; a daughter, Nicole (John Erik) Sochotsky-Hansen of Normal; a son, Christian Sochotsky of Bloomington and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Stephen was employed for many years as the City Planner for the Town of Normal.
He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Online condolences and memories of Stephen may be left for the family at kiblerbradyruestman.com.
Ryan Swank
Ryan D. Swank, 35, of Bloomington, died on Oct. 14 at his home.
Visitation will be from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington, where a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday. The Rev. Vaughn Hoffman will officiate. Inurnment will be at East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington, immediately following services. Cremation rites will be accorded after the visitation. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to an Education Fund for Ryan’s children, Hailey and Gavin Swank, c/o Chase Bank, Bloomington.
To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.
He was born May 24, 1980 in Crown Point, Ind., raised by his mother and step-father, Julianne Scheckel and Gerald Poncin. On Aug. 31, 2013, he married the love of his life, Carly Bramel.
Surviving are his wife, Carly, of Bloomington; his children, Hailey and Gavin Swank of Chatham; his mother and step-father, Julianne Scheckel and Gerald Poncin of Frankfort; one sister, Niomai Swank and his niece, Mikayla Swank, both of Frankfort. Also surviving are one step-sister, Dana; his step-brothers, Jerry Jr. and Brian; mother-in-law, Cindy (Dan) Fuentes of Decatur; father-in-law, Doug (Karen) Bramel of Oakley; his ex-wife, Amanda Montgomery Zimmer and many cousins, aunts and uncles.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents.
Ryan was a 1999 graduate of Victor Andrew High School in Tinley Park, where he graduated with honors, he later attended University of Illinois, Urbana. He worked as a Relationship Banker at Chase Bank, Bloomington.
He enjoyed boating at Lake Shelbyville with his family and friends. He also enjoyed fishing and cooking and hosting gatherings for family and friends.
Ryan was a loving husband and father of his two beautiful children, a wonderful son and brother, and a great friend. He will be greatly missed.
Richard Youngs
Richard C. Youngs, 79, of Normal, died at 1:05 p.m. on Oct. 14 at his home.
There will be no services or visitation. Cremation rites have been accorded by Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington. A private interment will be at Evergreen Cemetery, Bloomington at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the I.S.U. Foundation in Richard’s name (1101 N. Main Street, Box 3060, Normal, Ill. 61790). To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.
Richard was born June 15, 1936 to Chalmer D Youngs and Ruby Catherine Kiteley in Wilmot Michigan in the same house where his mother was born twenty-five years earlier.
At age twenty-seven months Richard spent the day (9 AM – 6 PM) of Aug. 29, 1938, riding his tricycle unescorted throughout the streets of Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan making headlines in the Detroit Times and Dearborn Independent. This was a predictor of the adventures he would have throughout his life.
Richard attended Albion College, graduated from Bowling Green University in 1958, and received a Masters of Arts in Science Teaching from the University of Michigan in 1960 and a PhD from Michigan State University in the field of Curriculum and Supervision with emphasis in Gifted Education.
Richard married Sally Joan Lewis on Aug. 19, 1961.
Between 1960 and 1963 Richard taught at The City and Country School in Bloomfield Hills Michigan later known as the Roper School for the Gifted. In 1964, Richard moved to Normal and began teaching in the Illinois State University lab school. He later moved to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education, where he directed the program for gifted education and was instrumental in writing federal grants that enabled students to be trained in the field of gifted education. He was one of the founders of the College for Youth Program at ISU. Richard retired in 1993 and moved into a new and exciting phase of his life.
Surviving are his children, Amy (Marty) Novak, Kay (Michael) Ziv and Roy (Amy) Youngs. Also surviving are one brother, Dr. David (Margot) Youngs of Shaker Heights, OH and one sister, Rosemary (Brendon Marsh) Dooley of Normal, two nephews, Peter and William Youngs, and one niece, Lisa (Matthew) Judd, who Richard (lovingly and inexplicably) referred to as Snert.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one nephew, Jeffrey Marsh.
Until recently, Richard owned a home in Prince Edward Island, Canada, where he spent many summers relaxing by the water. He also traveled widely, visiting more than 30 countries around the world, including Russia, England, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, China, Cuba, and Bolivia. Richard had a strong intellectual curiosity about many topics, and loved to learn all he could about a subject and share that knowledge with others.
Richard’s intellect, wit, and love of good conversation will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
