Christine Eik Winick, for many years considered the beating heart of the Knox County Democratic party, died on Saturday, Nov. 5 at her Galesburg home following a short illness. She was 71.
Winick served as chair of the Knox County Democratic Party and briefly served as the Commiteewoman for the 17th Congressional District on the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Illinois. In 2010 she was recognized as Knox County Democratic Woman of the Year. She also was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, 2008, 2016 and 2020.
Winick also served on the Knox County Board from 1982-2002, including serving as chair of the Finance Committee under both Democratic and Republican majorities and as Township Supervisor from 1989 until her passing.
Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin called Winick “the institutional memory of our party.
“Chris was wicked smart. She was passionate. And even if you disagreed with her, you always knew she was thinking about the greater good. You could trust her — what you saw is what you got from Chris.
“It’s a great loss for the party, and for the community.”
Obituary: Christine Eik Winick: June 11, 1951 – Nov. 5, 2022
Karlin said Winick could be counted on to give a contrary view on topics.
“She wasn’t the go-along-with-the-group type of person, which I liked about her,” he said. “And she was also often a calming voice.”
‘A fierce and generous advocate for social justice’
A post on the Knox County Illinois Democrats Facebook page says, “Chris was a fierce and generous advocate for social justice, and exhibited fairness and dedication throughout her longtime participation in public life in Knox County. She will be greatly missed.
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-East Moline) tells WGIL, “Chris was a lover of the Democratic Party. She and her late husband, Norm, were committed to helping elect Democrats up and down the ballot. We are grateful to both of them. My deepest condolences to her family.”
Born in Galesburg in 1951 Winick graduated from Galesburg High School in 1969, and then attended Illinois Wesleyan University before transferring to Knox College, where she graduated in 1973 with a degree in political science. In 1989, she later went on to receive a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Illinois-Springfield, as well as a graduate certificate in Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations and was a certified hostage negotiator.
According to her obituary, Winick started her career out of college with the State of Illinois – first working as an ombudsman with the Governor’s Office of Human Resources in the Quad Cities area and then with the Department of Children and Family Services as a volunteer services coordinator and social worker. She went on to work at the Galesburg Mental Health Center, where her mother and sister also worked. She later held positions at Galesburg School District 205 directing their before- and after-school programs, and InTouch Day Center for Older Adults, before becoming a counselor with the Illinois Department of Corrections at the Henry Hill Correctional Center where she worked until her retirement in 2010.
In 2014, Winick received a Knox College Service Award in recognition of her years of service to her alma mater and community.
Winick made ‘Galesburg a better place for all residents’
“Chris dedicated her adult life to making Galesburg a better place for all residents,” said Galesburg Mayor and Knox College professor Peter Schwartzman. “She wanted the best for everyone. She will be greatly missed.”
Former Galesburg Mayor Bob Sheehan said he goes back 50 years with Winick.
“I actually met Chris 50 years ago — the fall of 1972,” said Sheehan, who was a Knox County Board member before serving as Mayor of Galesburg from 1997-2005. “She was a senior, and I was a freshman at Knox College. She helped me get active and find out what politics were all about.
“Chris was very energetic. She was opinionated, but not bombastic at all. She would present her case, and some people would accept it, and some would not. That’s when the discussion would begin.”
Sheehan, who now resides in Peoria, added, “Chris also had this terrific laugh. The laugh would come from her belly, and she just couldn’t stop, then it becomes contagious.
“She was just a marvelous gal and a terrific mother.”
Winick was preceded in death by her husband Norm Winick. She is survived by her son Ben and her daughter-in-marriage Lari Dierks, along with her sister Marna, sister-in-law Diane (Lonnie) Graul, brother-in-law Andy (Sherry) Winick, her nieces Brynn (Jim Baker) Seibert and Leslie (Josh) Wangeman and nephews Keith (Christy Wagner) Graul and Dylan Winick as well as many other close friends and family.
Cremation has been accorded. A celebration of life will be hosted by the family in Galesburg in early 2023. Arrangements have been entrusted to Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg.
