Ronald Eugene Shirk Obituary (1937

Ronald Eugene Shirk of Bloomington passed to his eternal home at 2:56 PM on Saturday June 27, 2020 at his residence. He was 82. There will be a funeral on Wednesday July 1, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home in Bloomington. Pastor Kendall Coffman will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the Memorial Home. Burial will be at Park Hill Cemetery in Bloomington. Military rites will be performed by both active duty Marines and the Bloomington-Normal American Legion Honor guard. Ron was born in Decatur on August 30, 1937 to Richard A. and Opal Lanum Shirk. He married Julia Joan Neesan on May 28, 1960 in Chicago, who preceded him in death on August 15, 2008. He is survived by his three children, Jeffrey (Lynette) Shirk of Redmond, WA; Michael Shirk of Cape Coral, FL; and Susan (Greg) Eckhart of Lexington, IL; by four grandchildren, Chelsea (Paul) Burnson of Chicago, IL; Ashland (Derek Wegman) Eckhart of Normal, IL; Miranda Shirk of Cape Coral, FL; and Zelda Shirk of Redmond, WA; and by his companion of nearly eleven years, Connie Tabor of Bloomington. He had one sibling, the late Dale Shirk of Decatur. Ron graduated Decatur High School in 1960 and later attended Eastern Illinois University and Millikin University, where he met his wife in a school registration line. In 1960, he joined the Farmers State Bank in Heyworth, IL as an assistant cashier and worked his way up to serve as President of the bank before retiring in 1984. He continued to work in the banking industry performing independent auditing during his retirement. Ron was a talented sprinter who lettered for the Decatur High School and Millikin University track teams, and at one point was one of the fastest men in the state of Illinois. He was also a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Ron also reached 32nd degree Mason as a member of the Macon No. 8 Lodge, AF&M. He also was a member of the Elks Lodge and Moose Lodge social organizations. He enjoyed travel, boating and golf. Memorial contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to the Lexington Community Church.