Gilman-Thomas "TP" "Tim" Simnick, 61, Gilman, died at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, 1990, following an accidental explosion in the garage of his home.
Thomas Paul Simnick was born Dec. 8, 1928, in Chicago the son of Paul and Margaret (Clark) Simnick.
He married Doris Pence on June 28, 1957 in Watseka, Illinois.
He is survived by his wife, his mother Margaret of Riverdale; two sons, Stephen (Liesa) of Danforth,and Tim (Renita), stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base in Glenview; four daughter, Barbara McIntyre (Ed), Katrina, Kathleen and Brittaney Simnick all of Gilman; thirteen grandchildren; and two sisters, Betty Jurgensen of Alsip and Janet Simnick of Riverdale.
He was preceded by his father and one brother, Phillip.
Funeral services were conducted at the Redenius Funeral Home with Rev. Francis Maher officiating. Burial in the Wenger Cemetery with military rites being conducted by the Central VFW Post 2131.
Mr. Simnick was a former Chicago resident and attended Chicago Catholic High School. He had lived in the Gilman area since 1950 and was an engineer for 43 years for the Illinois Central Railroad before his retirement.
A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he was in the Railroad Battalion, a member of the Central Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2131, and for the past five years he had served as the Illinois Central Railroad Santa Claus who visited neighboring communities.
Memorials may be made in his name to the Gilman Fire Dept.
A Kankakee County tradition has gained a bit of recognition lately.
Reader Peter Viall, of Manteno brought the item to our attention. Viall is a seven-year volunteer for the local Canadian National-Illinois Central Santa Train. He brought us in a December issue of Trains magazine, which featured a 10-page full-color layout on the 37-year charity tradition.
The last stop for the train, always the biggest one, is in Kankakee. At each stop, community volunteers assemble gifts and goody bags for the kids, and the train always stays until each child gets a chance to sit in Santa's lap.
The story is a first-person effort by Kathi Kube, riding aboard the 2006 version. The story contains the history of the consist of the train and an account of the original duties of the cars that make up the train.
She also has a good account of the start of the train. In 1967, Arvid Cook, then an engineer on the Illinois Central Kankakee-Bloomington run, took to wearing a Santa suit in the cab. He noticed kids stopping and staring. In 1968, he began tossing candy out at stations. Crowds would gather. By 1969, Cook was leaving the train at stops to knock on house doors.
In 1970, the Santa train became official. The IC went along, as long as Cook could assemble volunteers, which has never been a problem. Cook played Santa until 1986. Tim Simnick followed him, until turning the title over to Brian Smith in 1992.
There are other Christmas trains, but Kube identifies this one as having the biggest heart. As one child tells her mom, "only the real Santa could pull off having his own train."
For anyone interested in local history, trains or just a great holiday read, peruse Trains.
Thomas Paul Simnick was born Dec. 8, 1928, in Chicago the son of Paul and Margaret (Clark) Simnick.
He married Doris Pence on June 28, 1957 in Watseka, Illinois.
He is survived by his wife, his mother Margaret of Riverdale; two sons, Stephen (Liesa) of Danforth,and Tim (Renita), stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base in Glenview; four daughter, Barbara McIntyre (Ed), Katrina, Kathleen and Brittaney Simnick all of Gilman; thirteen grandchildren; and two sisters, Betty Jurgensen of Alsip and Janet Simnick of Riverdale.
He was preceded by his father and one brother, Phillip.
Funeral services were conducted at the Redenius Funeral Home with Rev. Francis Maher officiating. Burial in the Wenger Cemetery with military rites being conducted by the Central VFW Post 2131.
Mr. Simnick was a former Chicago resident and attended Chicago Catholic High School. He had lived in the Gilman area since 1950 and was an engineer for 43 years for the Illinois Central Railroad before his retirement.
A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he was in the Railroad Battalion, a member of the Central Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2131, and for the past five years he had served as the Illinois Central Railroad Santa Claus who visited neighboring communities.
Memorials may be made in his name to the Gilman Fire Dept.
A Kankakee County tradition has gained a bit of recognition lately.
Reader Peter Viall, of Manteno brought the item to our attention. Viall is a seven-year volunteer for the local Canadian National-Illinois Central Santa Train. He brought us in a December issue of Trains magazine, which featured a 10-page full-color layout on the 37-year charity tradition.
The last stop for the train, always the biggest one, is in Kankakee. At each stop, community volunteers assemble gifts and goody bags for the kids, and the train always stays until each child gets a chance to sit in Santa's lap.
The story is a first-person effort by Kathi Kube, riding aboard the 2006 version. The story contains the history of the consist of the train and an account of the original duties of the cars that make up the train.
She also has a good account of the start of the train. In 1967, Arvid Cook, then an engineer on the Illinois Central Kankakee-Bloomington run, took to wearing a Santa suit in the cab. He noticed kids stopping and staring. In 1968, he began tossing candy out at stations. Crowds would gather. By 1969, Cook was leaving the train at stops to knock on house doors.
In 1970, the Santa train became official. The IC went along, as long as Cook could assemble volunteers, which has never been a problem. Cook played Santa until 1986. Tim Simnick followed him, until turning the title over to Brian Smith in 1992.
There are other Christmas trains, but Kube identifies this one as having the biggest heart. As one child tells her mom, "only the real Santa could pull off having his own train."
For anyone interested in local history, trains or just a great holiday read, peruse Trains.
Gilman-Thomas "TP" "Tim" Simnick, 61, Gilman, died at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, 1990, following an accidental explosion in the garage of his home.
Thomas Paul Simnick was born Dec. 8, 1928, in Chicago the son of Paul and Margaret (Clark) Simnick.
He married Doris Pence on June 28, 1957 in Watseka, Illinois.
He is survived by his wife, his mother Margaret of Riverdale; two sons, Stephen (Liesa) of Danforth,and Tim (Renita), stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base in Glenview; four daughter, Barbara McIntyre (Ed), Katrina, Kathleen and Brittaney Simnick all of Gilman; thirteen grandchildren; and two sisters, Betty Jurgensen of Alsip and Janet Simnick of Riverdale.
He was preceded by his father and one brother, Phillip.
Funeral services were conducted at the Redenius Funeral Home with Rev. Francis Maher officiating. Burial in the Wenger Cemetery with military rites being conducted by the Central VFW Post 2131.
Mr. Simnick was a former Chicago resident and attended Chicago Catholic High School. He had lived in the Gilman area since 1950 and was an engineer for 43 years for the Illinois Central Railroad before his retirement.
A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he was in the Railroad Battalion, a member of the Central Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2131, and for the past five years he had served as the Illinois Central Railroad Santa Claus who visited neighboring communities.
Memorials may be made in his name to the Gilman Fire Dept.
A Kankakee County tradition has gained a bit of recognition lately.
Reader Peter Viall, of Manteno brought the item to our attention. Viall is a seven-year volunteer for the local Canadian National-Illinois Central Santa Train. He brought us in a December issue of Trains magazine, which featured a 10-page full-color layout on the 37-year charity tradition.
The last stop for the train, always the biggest one, is in Kankakee. At each stop, community volunteers assemble gifts and goody bags for the kids, and the train always stays until each child gets a chance to sit in Santa's lap.
The story is a first-person effort by Kathi Kube, riding aboard the 2006 version. The story contains the history of the consist of the train and an account of the original duties of the cars that make up the train.
She also has a good account of the start of the train. In 1967, Arvid Cook, then an engineer on the Illinois Central Kankakee-Bloomington run, took to wearing a Santa suit in the cab. He noticed kids stopping and staring. In 1968, he began tossing candy out at stations. Crowds would gather. By 1969, Cook was leaving the train at stops to knock on house doors.
In 1970, the Santa train became official. The IC went along, as long as Cook could assemble volunteers, which has never been a problem. Cook played Santa until 1986. Tim Simnick followed him, until turning the title over to Brian Smith in 1992.
There are other Christmas trains, but Kube identifies this one as having the biggest heart. As one child tells her mom, "only the real Santa could pull off having his own train."
For anyone interested in local history, trains or just a great holiday read, peruse Trains.
Thomas Paul Simnick was born Dec. 8, 1928, in Chicago the son of Paul and Margaret (Clark) Simnick.
He married Doris Pence on June 28, 1957 in Watseka, Illinois.
He is survived by his wife, his mother Margaret of Riverdale; two sons, Stephen (Liesa) of Danforth,and Tim (Renita), stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base in Glenview; four daughter, Barbara McIntyre (Ed), Katrina, Kathleen and Brittaney Simnick all of Gilman; thirteen grandchildren; and two sisters, Betty Jurgensen of Alsip and Janet Simnick of Riverdale.
He was preceded by his father and one brother, Phillip.
Funeral services were conducted at the Redenius Funeral Home with Rev. Francis Maher officiating. Burial in the Wenger Cemetery with military rites being conducted by the Central VFW Post 2131.
Mr. Simnick was a former Chicago resident and attended Chicago Catholic High School. He had lived in the Gilman area since 1950 and was an engineer for 43 years for the Illinois Central Railroad before his retirement.
A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he was in the Railroad Battalion, a member of the Central Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2131, and for the past five years he had served as the Illinois Central Railroad Santa Claus who visited neighboring communities.
Memorials may be made in his name to the Gilman Fire Dept.
A Kankakee County tradition has gained a bit of recognition lately.
Reader Peter Viall, of Manteno brought the item to our attention. Viall is a seven-year volunteer for the local Canadian National-Illinois Central Santa Train. He brought us in a December issue of Trains magazine, which featured a 10-page full-color layout on the 37-year charity tradition.
The last stop for the train, always the biggest one, is in Kankakee. At each stop, community volunteers assemble gifts and goody bags for the kids, and the train always stays until each child gets a chance to sit in Santa's lap.
The story is a first-person effort by Kathi Kube, riding aboard the 2006 version. The story contains the history of the consist of the train and an account of the original duties of the cars that make up the train.
She also has a good account of the start of the train. In 1967, Arvid Cook, then an engineer on the Illinois Central Kankakee-Bloomington run, took to wearing a Santa suit in the cab. He noticed kids stopping and staring. In 1968, he began tossing candy out at stations. Crowds would gather. By 1969, Cook was leaving the train at stops to knock on house doors.
In 1970, the Santa train became official. The IC went along, as long as Cook could assemble volunteers, which has never been a problem. Cook played Santa until 1986. Tim Simnick followed him, until turning the title over to Brian Smith in 1992.
There are other Christmas trains, but Kube identifies this one as having the biggest heart. As one child tells her mom, "only the real Santa could pull off having his own train."
For anyone interested in local history, trains or just a great holiday read, peruse Trains.
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