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3/30/98
Educator's battle with cancer ends
Chuck Snook's adventure with cancer ended Sunday as he knew it would.
He died at 5:25 p.m. in a hospital bed in the study of his home and in the company of his family and a few friends.
The former principal of Flanagan High School, Chuck was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1994. In December 1996, he asked The Pantagraph to share his story with Central Illinois readers in the hope that others could learn from his experience.
He was told when his cancer was diagnosed that it had metastasized to his bones and he would probably die within 2-1/2 to three years. He outlived that prediction by four months.
Chuck decided from the beginning to be open about his illness, to tell his family, his friends, those with whom he worked and even strangers through the newspaper; to concentrate on living an enjoyable, productive life for as long as he could; and to try to educate the public about prostate cancer and the importance of regular examinations.
Near the end, he was always glad to spread the word about the joys of the OSF Saint James Hospice program from Pontiac and the members of the hospice team that cared for him.
A couple of years after his diagnosis, Chuck entered a pain management study at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. It became one of the greatest pleasures of the "adventure," as he called it, that he had with prostate cancer because it required him to return regularly to the university from which he received his doctoral degree. In addition, one of his daughters, Annemarie Allen, and his son-in-law, Dr. Brad Allen, were on the staff there, and he enjoyed visiting them and his grandson whenever he could.
During his last year, Chuck was able to travel with old friends, speak at commencement ceremonies at the high school he loved and which honored him with a memorial scholarship, and even ride in the homecoming parade with his wife, Eve, as grand marshals.
He was called to speak to classes even after he retired, perhaps be greatest joy for a former teacher who said the classroom was his stage. He also spoke to the occasional civic group about his adventure, and a couple of weeks ago he was on a radio show.
The Pantagraph has chronicled the last year of Chuck's life through occasional feature stories. A story in Sunday's Pantagraph will recount his last days. ...
--James Keeran, Pantagraph staff
Continue reading the Chuck Snook story
4/5/98 In the End a Whisper and a Prayer
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