Kenneth O. Nimrick

Dr. Kenneth O. Nimrick, age 70 of Stronghurst passed away at 3:15 p.m. Saturday August 20, 2016 at Cottage Hospital in Galesburg, Illinois. He was born August 23, 1945 in Rock Island, Illinois the son of Orville Luther and Mary Allen Nimrick. On August 17, 1968, he married Sara Anne Allison in Stronghurst.

Ken served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He served at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was later commanding officer at the National Guard Armory in Monmouth, Illinois. He farmed for over 40 years near Stronghurst, and also held a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition. He taught Animal Science at Western Illinois University for 15 years, retiring as Associate Professor in the School Of Agriculture. He has supervised the WIU beef herd and Performance Tested Bull Sale, coordinated the Western Illinois Grazing Conference, and chaired the WIU agriculture field lab.

Ken was a speaker at numerous grazing conferences regarding economics of grazing stocker cattle as a sustainable alternative to row crops. In 2016, he received the Beef Improvement Federation Commercial Producer of the Year Award. This was the first time an Illinois producer has received this award. He also receive the Ag Service Award in appreciation of his outstanding support and service to the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau. In 2015, he received the Tri County Cattlemen’s Association "Beef Backer" Award.

He was a member of the American Society of Animal Science, Society For Range Management, and the National Cattlemen’s Association, and a past president of the Pork Producers. He was a member of the board of directors of the Bank Of Stronghurst, had served on the Beef Committee of the Henderson County Fair, and was former Vice President of Stronghurst Mutual Insurance. He was past secretary of the steering committee for the University of Illinois Western Illinois Research and Development Center.

Ken was a founding member and elder of Crossroads Community Church of Burlington. He also coached girls T-ball and softball. He was a humble man of good humor who jokingly referred to himself as the Vice President of Hindsight at Pitchfork Farm of Illinois.  Above all, his faith and family were the most important things in his life.

Survivors include his wife, two daughters, Kristin (Alan) Durkee of Media, IL, Amy (Brian) Johnson of Smithshire, IL, seven grandchildren, Nikkita Grace (Brenton) Grimm, Kendall (Laura) Durkee, Gavin (Fiancé- Anya) Durkee, Tristin, Brynn, Ellison, and Brecken Johnson,  three great grandchildren, Stefan and Aldan Grimm and Eastyn Derry, and two sisters, Pat Esp and Kathleen Carothers, both of Moline, IL. He was preceded in death by his parents.