Luke Day

1989 - 2022

BLANCHARD, Okla. - Luke Francis Day, 33, of Blanchard, Okla., formerly of Mahomet-Seymour, met his Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, on Dec. 25, 2022.

He was born Oct. 11, 1989, in Urbana, the son of Scott and Katherine (Kate) Day.

He is survived by his parents; loving wife, Caitlin (Lowry); adored son, Scotty Terrence; sister, Kaley Hennigh (Cody) of Mahomet; brother, Cully, of Nashville, Tenn.; and nephew, Leroy Hennigh of Mahomet. He is also survived by his two dogs, Hemi and Rizzo.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Francis and Mary Mitchell; paternal grandparents, Clyde and Rose Day; and four uncles, Edward Day and Philip, Edward and Patrick Mitchell. 

Luke graduated from Mahomet-Seymour High School in 2008, where he wrestled and played football and baseball. He graduated from Southern Illinois University (cum laude) with a degree in civil engineering with a surveying specialty in 2012. He also acquired his professional engineer license and EIT for surveying. He began his civil engineering career at John Crawford & Associates in Carterville. He then returned to the Champaign area after accepting a position at the private consulting firm of Clark-Dietz. After a few years, he focused on municipality work and worked as a civil engineer III for the city of Champaign. He designed and oversaw many complex engineering projects as the resident engineer for the city, including the national award-winning Washington Street renovation. He continued his love for municipality work in Oklahoma as the chief city engineer for Newcastle (a fast-growing suburb of Oklahoma City). He was recently promoted to Engineering Department head.

Luke was a loving husband, father and son and was deeply patriotic. He loved and was deeply loved by his family and many friends; he was always there with a helping hand when needed. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved kayaking, biking, boating, water and snow skiing, hiking and camping, particularly in the mountains, which included camping in the Rockies in Colorado. He also played on several softball teams. He had extraordinary woodworking and carpentry skills, including making furniture and milling his own wood. He was a big sports fan but an avid supporter of the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Cubs and wrestling; he closely followed the Illini, Oklahoma Sooners, Iowa Hawkeyes, Oklahoma State Cowboys and Team USA. Frequently darning his favorite cowboy boots, he was a true cowboy at heart.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 405 W. Clark St., Champaign, IL 61820. Father Joe Hogan will officiate. Burial will be immediately after at St. Mary Cemetery, Champaign. Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 710 N. Neil St., Champaign, IL 61820, is assisting the family with local arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the Luke Day Memorial and Children's Educational Fund has been established at Busey Bank. Donations may be made to this memorial fund by calling, visiting or wiring funds to any Busey Bank location or online through gofundme.com/lukeday. Please join Luke's family in sharing memories on his tribute wall at sunsetfuneralhome.com.