Charles Bimba ’66 died Jan. 12, 2021, in Sarasota, Florida. He was 77. Chuck played baseball and studied business administration at Illinois Wesleyan. He went on to serve as president and chief executive officer of Bimba Manufacturing Co., in University Park, Illinois, a company founded by his father in 1957. In the 1990s, he became involved in business consulting and lay ministry work. Chuck was proud of his Luthuanian heritage and taught business classes at Vilnius University soon after the country gained its independence. Some of Chuck’s favorite days were spent fly-fishing in a trout stream, and some of his favorite evenings were spent at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. He was an avid fan of the Chicago White Sox and University of Illinois athletics. Chuck was known for his sense of humor and for being kind, ethical, humble and guided by faith. He is survived by his wife, four children, five grandchildren and two sisters.

Read the full obituary here.

We regret to inform you that Carol Zavatsky ’63 passed away on April 20, 2019. She was born November 27, 1941 in Chicago.  She was a member of the Sassy Sisters Red Hat Society, volunteered often, and his survived by her son, stepchildren, and grandchildren. You can read her full obituary here.

Richard Greene Watrous ’61 passed away June 14,2020 from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. He loved his time at Illinois Wesleyan. He always gave the professors of the university credit for teaching him to think and to become a life long learner. He is survived by his wife, Christine.

Marybeth (Solberg) Stull ’64 of Minnetonka, Minnesota, died Jan. 4, 2021. She was 78.

Marybeth majored in music and English at Illinois Wesleyan, where she graduated cum laude. One of her greatest joys in life was playing the violin; she also studied violin performance at Indiana University. She played professionally as a soloist and in quartets in many Minneapolis-St. Paul area orchestras. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, where she gained many lifelong friendships. Throughout her professional career, she served in many administrative roles, with the Minnesota and St. Paul chamber orchestras, and most recently as a sales and marketing assistant for Wells Fargo International Trust. She also served as an interim instructor of Hardanger fiddle at St. Olaf College. She was proud of her Norwegian heritage, and she studied Norwegian language and the Hardanger fiddle for many years. Her faith, family and friends were always dear to her. She is survived by her husband, four children, three grandchildren, three siblings, and many nieces, nephew and friends.

You can read the full obituary here.

David M. Diehl ’62 of Decatur, Illinois, died Dec. 16, 2020. He was 84.

David studied accounting and business administration at Illinois Wesleyan, and he went on to earn his certified public accountant’s license in 1967. He practiced for 51 years, first with his father at Gaugher and Diehl accounting firm, and later started his own CPA practice. David was a U.S. Army veteran, having served before his time at IWU. He was a past commander of the Decatur Power Squadron, past president of the Decatur Noon Lions Club, and a lifelong member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and First United Methodist Church of Decatur. He is survived by his wife, two children and five grandchildren.

You can read the full obituary here.

V. Stephen King passed away on Friday, November 20, 2020 at his home. He was 81.

He was a United States Army veteran, serving from 1960 to 1963. Steve worked in the banking industry from 1964 – 1993. After retiring from banking, he worked at On Hand Safety Supplies from 1994 – 2004 and he retired from Coldwell Banker Heart of America in 2014, after 10 years of employment. Surviving are his wife, Donna, three children, and seven grandchildren. Also surviving are a sister-in-law, three nephews and two nieces.

You can read the full obituary here.

Delmar Smith ’61 of Morton, Illinois, died Nov. 25, 2020. He was 86.

Delmar earned a bachelor’s degree at Illinois Wesleyan before earning master’s and doctoral degrees in divinity and ministry, respectively. He served 39-and-a-half years as an ordained clergyman in the United Methodist Church, including the final 19 years at Canton (Ill.) Wesley United Methodist Church. He is survived by two children, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, a sister and a nephew.

You can read the full obituary here.