Former Homewood-Flossmoor Track Star Fatally Struck by Car Downstate

The red and white of a Homewood-Flossmoor High School letterman jacket still adorns the living room of Lorrie and Ed Blumer’s home in Effingham.

The jacket is a reminder of better days for their son Wesley, who at the age of 41, was fatally struck by a car Dec. 26 while walking along U.S. Route 45. Blumer once was a star runner for the Vikings—even setting a state record that stood for six years, his father told The Effingham Daily News.

Gregory Yokum, 56, the driver of the car that struck Blumer, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. The investigation is ongoing, as authorities await toxicology results on Blumer.

Though he had fought mental illness since enrolling at Eastern Illinois University, his parents told the Daily News that he had held down a steady job in recent years, and avoided hospitalization for a decade. Walks seemed to help him cope with his darker bouts with illness, according to his father.

“All we know is he went for a walk,” Blumer told the Daily News, of the day his son died. “He just didn’t come back that time, so I went looking for him.”

Read more about Blumer’s story on the Effingham Daily News.