Joseph "Joe" Cheek

Joseph "Joe" Cheek
PEKIN - Joseph Duane "Joe" Cheek, 71, of Pekin passed away at 8:10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, at his home.
Born Jan. 29, 1949, in Lincoln to Sharon DuWayne and Betty Rose (Brandt) Cheek, he married Brinda Katherine Hunt on Aug. 17, 1974, in Normal. She survives.
Also surviving are one daughter, Jennifer (Mike Belki) Cheek of Washington, D.C.; two sons, Alex (Kim) Cheek and Bryan (Valerie) Cheek, both of Pekin; eight grandchildren, Brayden Cheek, Violet Cheek, Truman Cheek, Matilda Belki, Lyza Cheek, Lynden Cheek, Crosby Cheek and Toby Cheek; and one brother, Craig (Estella) Cheek of Tempe, Ariz. He also leaves two brothers-in-law, E.J. Hunt of Pekin and Tim (Brenda) Hunt of North Pekin.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son-in-law, Michael McAbee; one brother, Dennis Cheek; and a sister-in-law, Linda Little.
A 1967 graduate of Atlanta High School, he was a 1971 graduate of Illinois State University in Normal, with a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education. Joe began his working career as a teacher in McLean. He went on to work at Brown's Sporting Goods from 1974 to 1989. Within that time period, Joe did take leave from Brown's to work as an independent sales representative for several national sporting goods brands.
Joe had the gift for sales and the desire to own and operate his own business, which came into fruition with Athletic Shoe Market, which grew into 8 locations throughout Central Illinois. He last worked and retired in 2018 from Mitchell One, a software company for the auto parts industry.
He loved his family, and later in life his grandchildren became his passion, and even built "Papa's Park" in his backyard for them. Joe was a History buff and loved baseball. He was a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Illini Basketball. Joe was a faithful volunteer at Shade Park. His family will remember him as a planner who was always dreaming and planning the next project to undertake in life.
His visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Guidelines regarding social distancing and wearing masks will be followed. There will be no funeral service and cremation will be accorded following the visitation.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Shade Memorial Youth Camp, P.O. Box 1027, Pekin, IL 61555-1027.
To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com.