Wayne Patkunas
Wayne A. Patkunas, 81 of Lake Bloomington (Hudson) passed away on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017 at his home.
His funeral will be at 10:00 AM, Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington. Entombment will be in East Lawn Mausoleum. Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 PM Tuesday, August 29, 2017 at the funeral home.
Memorials may be directed to Make A Wish Foundation.
Wayne was born on January 19, 1936 in Chicago, the son of Marie Huml and Frank Patkunas. He married Patricia Hargitt on August 16, 1958 in Bloomington. She survives.
He is also survived by three children, Deborah Patkunas of Houston, Texas, Diane (Bruce) Briney of New Braunfels, Texas and Mark (Jill) Patkunas of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; 2 grandchildren, Gwendolyn & Gunnar Patkunas.
He was preceded in death by both of his parents and his brother, Bruce.
Wayne graduated from Trinity High School in 1955. He graduated from ISNU in 1959 where he was a star pitcher on the baseball team. One of his favorite memories of ISNU was pitching and defeating the U of I team in 16 innings by a score of 5 to 4. He pitched that game with a shoulder injury that he didn’t disclose until after. He once wrote “I think baseball as an activity profited me most; it taught me that mental toughness and extra effort can help gain the self-confidence one needs in any profession.”
He did countless hours of volunteer work beginning during his college years. He began coaching basketball for St. Mary’s Grade School, coached for the American Legion baseball teams, and was a DJ for students and senior citizens at gatherings hosted at Chiddix Jr High where he was an English teacher.
Professionally, Wayne started his teaching career in 1959 at Monroe Center, Ill. He worked for Unit 5 for 34 years as an English teacher and later chair of the English department. He was the Student Senate sponsor and developed the SCORE program (Students Caring Of Retired Elderly). He took his students to elderly people’s houses to help them with household chores, yard work, etc. He was also a successful basketball coach leading his team to two state championships in 1972 & 1984. He was honored as the Illinois Coach of the Year in 1984. He was very humble and instilled such great values and lifelong friendships in his students who fondly referred to him as “Mr. Pat.”
Wayne was an avid fisherman and spent many hours fishing with his beloved wife of 59 years. He was a lifelong Cubs fan and an avid music lover. He loved spending time with “the boys” at Panera. His biggest passion in life was making a difference in kids lives. He touched many lives as a teacher, coach, mentor and friend. He was a great husband, father and Ho Ho to his grandkids. His personality was larger than life and he will be missed immensely by those he left behind.
To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.
