Homer Allen Schenk

HOMER ALLEN SCHENK, AGE 83, OF ELKHART PASSED AWAY ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2020 AT HIS HOME SURROUNDED BY FAMILY. HOMER WAS BORN ON MAY 14, 1937 IN ELKHART TO CLARENCE  HENRY AND LEONOA MAE SCHENK. HOMER MARRIED MARGARET “PEGGY’ JOAN LILLY ON JUNE 7, 1958

HOMER IS SURVIVED BY HIS CHILDREN; HEIDI EASH, TIM (LESLIE) SCHENK, RONDA BRYANT AND  HEATHER (TOM) MILLER, HIS GRANDCHILDEN;  AUDREY, DANIEL, HANNAH, LAUREN, CHRIS, ANDY, ALEX, DEREK, SHAUN, TREVOR, DEREK, ROSS, KELSEY, DEREK , JENNIFER , MICHAEL AND DUSTIN AND 17 GREAT GRAND CHILDREN. HIS BROTHERS; RAYMOND D. SCHENK SR., OF GOSHEN AND MARVIN C. SCHENK OF TENNESSEE. HOMER WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS PARENTS, HIS SIBLINGS; JAMES D. SCHENK SR., GOLDIE HOLDREAD, MARIE CULLIP AND GERALD MURRAY; AND HIS SON-IN-LAW, BRENT EASH.

HOMER GRADUATED FROM ELKHART HIGH SCHOOL (WHEN IT WAS UPTOWN) IN 1955 HIS WIFE AND LOVE OF HIS LIFE, PEGGY, PASSED AWAY IN 1998 FROM LUNG CANCER.  FOR THE REMAINDER OF HIS LIFE, MUTUAL FRIEND OF HOMER AND PEGGY, KAY ZENTZ, WAS HIS COMPANION.

HE GREW UP ON FULTON ST. IN ELKHART WITH SIX SIBLINGS.   AS A YOUNG FATHER, HE LIVED ON HOMEWOOD AVE. SOON, AS HOMER AND PEGGYS KIDS GREW ,HE MOVED TO JACKSON BLVD AND LATER IN LIFE HE SPLIT HIS RESIDENCE BETWEEN NORTH FT MYERS FLORIDA AND BOARDWALK SENIOR COMMUNITY.

HOMER AND PEGGY WERE FOSTER PARENTS FOR SEVERAL YEARS TAKING CARE OF 28 FOSTER CHILDREN

HOMER FOLLOWED IN THE CAREER PATH JUST LIKE HIS FATHER HE WORKED AT THE NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRAIN YARD IN ELKHART REPAIRING AND MAINTAINING EQUIPMENT.

HE WORKED FOR W.F. LILLY ACROSS FROM THE POLICE STATION AFTER HIGH SCHOOL UP TO 1966

HE TRAINED AND QUALIFIED FOR THE ELKHART POLICE DEPT FROM 1-1-1966 TO RETIREMENT 1-22-1986 WHERE HE WAS BADGE # 28.

 HE WAS A DETECTIVE FOR 10 OF THOSE YEARS, AND MANY OTHER ASSIGNMENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT CHANGED WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF MAYORS TO THE CITY. HE ALSO HELD A SHARPSHOOTER BADGE WITHIN THE DEPT.  PROUDLY, 3 OF THOSE YEARS WERE WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS THE ONLY POLICE / FIRE ARSON INVESTIGATOR, AFTER ATTENDING MANY COURSES AT THE INDIANA POLICE ACADEMY, HE PROVIDED BY THE CITY HE PROVIDED THIS SERVICE WHICH BOASTED A 35% DROP IN ARSON CITYWIDE AND A 99% CONVICTION RATE FOR THOSE ARSONS. AFTER A MAYORIAL CHANGE THIS SERVICE WAS NEVER REPEATED, AT LEAST FROM WITHIN THE POLICE DEPT.

AFTER RETIREMENT FROM THE POLICE DEPT.  1985 -2000 HOMER WORKED FOR INDIANA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER AS THE INSPECTOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY.  MANY COURSES WERE TAKEN AND TAUGHT BY HIM DURING HIS IU TENURE.   THIS INCLUDED TRAINING ON THE USE OF BREATHYLIZERS FOR THE STATE OF INDIANA. TESTING, REPAIR AND INSPECTING THE BREATHYLIZER INSTRUMENTS AND DELIVERING THEM THROUGHOUT NORTHERN INDIANA.

AS A SECOND JOB HE WORKED FOR SEARS & ROEBUCK AT PIERRE MORAN MALL AS THE LEAD SECURITY GUARD AND ALSO WAS THE 1ST SOURCE OFFICER AT THE THEN NEWLY BUILT ELKHART CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL AT RICE FIELD, HE ALSO PROVIDED OFF DUTY POLICE SECURITY FOR WRESTLING EVENTS AT NORTHSIDE GYM

ANOTHER SECOND JOB WAS BEING A PAINTER. PAINTING HOUSE TRIM AND OTHER PAINTING JOBS THROUGHOUT THE CITY INCLUDING JUDD DRUGS AND JIM STONES AMONG OTHERS.

AT ONE POINT HOMER WAS CO-OWNER OF SONITROL SECURITY ALARM CO. OF ELKHART COUNTY WITH PARTNER JOHN BENTLEY 

HE, HIS WIFE PEGGY AND HIS KIDS WERE MEMBERS OF ST JOHNS EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN ELKHART AND THE MARRIAGE PREP ROOM IS DEDICATED TO PEGGY

ABOUT THE TIME OF HIS WORK AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY HE WAS STRICKEN WITH A RARE FORM OF CANCER (CLEAR CELL CARCINOMA) THAT AFFECTED HIS JAW AND WAS ONE OF ONLY 3 OR 4 TO RECEIVE A JAW REPLACEMENT FROM IU MEDICAL CENTER THAT USED A CADAVER BONE FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF HIS JAW.   AFTER MANY TREATMENTS THROUGH THE YEARS THIS RARE CANCER COULD NOT BE OVERCOME.

FRIENDS MAY VISIT WITH FAMILY FROM 1-3 PM ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2020 AT STEMM-LAWSON-PETERSON FUNERAL HOME, 1531 COBBLESTONE BLVD., ELKHART IN 46514. FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE HELD PRIVATELY. INURNMENT WILL BE AT RICE CEMETERY NEXT TO HIS WIFE, PEGGY. MEMORIAL DONATIONS MAY BE MADE TO ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL, 262 DANY THOMAS PLACE, MEMPHIS, TN 38105 OR WWW.STJUDE.ORG  ONLINE CONDOLENCES MAY BE MADE TO THE SCHENK FAMILY AT WWW.STEMMLAWSONPETERSON.COM

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