Jeremy Ruck

Broadcast engineer, consultant Age: 50

Jeremy Ruck was blessed with two great loves: his family and his job.

As a broadcast engineer and consultant, Ruck worked for television and radio stations all over the U.S. His favorite gig was managing the broadcast and telecommunications devices on top of the Willis Tower, Chicago’s tallest building.

“He started there, and helped when they put those big antennas on top of it. It was the Sears Tower then,” said Franki Ruck, Jeremy’s widow. “It was the biggest accomplishment in his professional career.”

Jeremy Ruck, 50, died Dec. 11, 2021, at Graham Hospital in Canton, Illinois, where he spent the last seven days of his life battling COVID-19. He wasn’t vaccinated because he thought it would do more harm than good, his widow said.

“And that was his choice,” Franki Ruck said. “Everybody has his own beliefs. And it’s a shame, because he was a wonderful man.”