SARASOTA, FL — Charles Walter Bimba, Jr. passed away peacefully on the morning of January 12, 2021 in Sarasota, Florida. He was 77.

Chuck, as he was known to all, was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1943, and raised in Monee, Illinois. He was the eldest child of Alfreda (Grigonis) and Charles Bimba.

For years, Chuck was president and CEO of Bimba Manufacturing Company in University Park, Illinois, a company started by his father in 1957. In the 1990s, Chuck was also involved in business consulting and lay ministry work. In addition, Chuck taught business classes at Vilnius University in Lithuania soon after the country gained its independence. Chuck was 100% Lithuanian and enjoyed connecting with relatives while he was there.

Contrary to popular belief, Chuck did not attend college at the University of Illinois, but you would never know it from the way he cheered on the Fighting Illini. He rarely missed an Illinois football or basketball game, and his family knew better than to try to talk to him during one.

He also loved baseball. He was a pitcher at Crete-Monee High School and at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he graduated in 1965. His favorite team was the Chicago White Sox, and he enjoyed dining at Diana’s restaurant in Greektown before the home games.

Some of Chuck’s favorite moments were spent fly fishing in a trout stream, and some of his favorite evenings were spent at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. Music brought him tremendous joy, especially bebop jazz and female vocalists.

Chuck would be the first to say that the best thing he ever did was marry Charlotte Conant, his wife of 55 years who he met in high school and married in 1965. They resided in Olympia Fields, Illinois until the late 1980s and then moved to Hanover, New Hampshire where they lived for more than 20 years. They became residents of Sarasota, Florida in 2009.

Chuck had a great sense of humor. His smile always verged on a laugh. He was clever and ridiculous with nicknames. If he gave you one, that was a sign he liked you. He was terrible at remembering birthdays, but he could recall where and what he ate in any town that he ever visited. Most importantly, he was kind, ethical, humble, and always guided by his faith in God. To the very end of his days, he still loved to laugh, and he never forgot Charlotte and his family.

In addition to Charlotte, Chuck is survived by their daughters Christine Nusbaum and Alison Bimba, their sons Charlie and Scott Bimba, their son-in-law Chip Nusbaum, daughters-in-law Holly Ward Bimba, and Anna Beck Bimba, and their grandchildren Carly, Maddie, Jackson, Kingston, and Saylor. He is also survived by his sisters, Mary Bimba and Peggy Cassara and was preceded in death by his sister Susan Bimba.

Donations in Chuck’s memory can made to: the Lewy Body Dementia Association (lbda.org) and to Leighton Ford Ministries (leightonfordministries.org).