Herbert Channick’s self-written obituary is not especially long, and he omitted details others might have included. For example, that he held a pilot’s license into his 80s, drove horses in harness races and once owned several radio stations.
“If you met him, you’d think he was just a regular guy,” said Tom Weinberg, his friend and weekly lunch partner. “If you knew him, he would have kept you in constant surprise about how deep he was and how broad he was.”
Mr. Channick, 81, died of natural causes Friday, Jan. 21, at his Highland Park home, his family said.
In the first of several career paths, Mr. Channick practiced law after getting his law degree from Yale University. He then took a job in property development with Metropolitan Structures, where he became a vice president, his family said.
He left day-to-day work at Metropolitan Structures while in his 40s to pursue an eclectic portfolio of business ventures and personal interests, said his daughter, Joan Channick.
He owned radio stations — including WCCQ near Joliet — and a horse farm near Rockford, his family said. He drove horses in harness races in county fairs around Illinois, said his son, Robert Channick, a freelance writer who contributes to the Tribune.
Starting in his 60s and until recently, he worked as an arbitrator.
A dedicated amateur historian, he delved into topics including the Civil War and early Illinois history. He served as a director of the Illinois State Historical Society and contributed articles to the organization’s magazine, including a detailed piece on Charles Dickens’ comically outsize disappointment in his first visit to the Midwest and Illinois.
Nancy, his wife of 60 years, said his sense of humor matched her own.
“We laughed about the same things,” she said. “We could just sit here and roar.”
Mr. Channick also is survived by two brothers, Bertram and Stanley; and a granddaughter.
Services were held.
