RICKEY G. McCLOSKEY

Rickey McCloskey Killed In Crash

A Canton man was killed in a four-vehicle accident late Friday, Feb. 23, 1990, at the intersection of U.S. Route 24 and Illinois Route 9.

Rickey G. McCloskey, 28, of 57 N. Seventh Ave., Canton, was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:55 p.m. by Peoria County Deputy Coroner Bobby Ford.

McCloskey had been driving eastbound on Route 24 at about 9:15 p.m. when he stuck the front of a westbound semi-trailer truck driven by Ricky L. Fuller, 24, of rural Manito. Fuller had been attempting to turn left onto Route 9 leading to Pekin, Peoria County Sheriff’s Department officials said.

The impact of the collision forced McCloskey’s car into two cars stopped at a red light on Route 9. The vehicles were driven by Antonio Turk, 38, of Liverpool, and Mark Noland, 29, of 257 W. Spruce St., Canton.

No other injuries were reported and no tickets have been issued, police said.

He was born Aug. 30, 1961, in Havana, the son of Gene and Kay (Ward) McCloskey. He married Teresa Christian in Canton on March 22, 1986. She survives.

Other survivors include one daughter, Kayley Michelle at home; three sisters, Carol Mendenhall, Vickey McCloskey and Sandy Howard, and two half-sisters, Jennifer McCloskey and Christy McCloskey, all of Canton; one grandfather, Howard Walters of Duquoin; and one grandmother, Lorena McCloskey of Galesburg.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one grandfather, one grandmother and one niece.

A 1980 graduate of Canton Senior High School, he had served in the U.S. Marine Corps for two years. He had been employed as a mailer at the Peoria Journal Star for the past six years and was a member of the Mailers Unions Local 98.

Funeral services for McCloskey were held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Oaks Memorial Chapel in Canton with Rev. Robert Holler officiating. Burial was in White Chapel Memory Gardens of Canton.

His mother is the former Kay Ward of Astoria, daughter of the late Marshall Ward and the late Eleanor Ward Walters.

Published in the Astoria South Fulton Argus on 2/28/1990