A 53-year-old man who died after crashing his SUV into a tree in Woodstock was a father who is being remembered for his love of volunteer work and being an avid sports fan.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and Woodstock Police Department responded around 9:56 p.m. Sunday to the 400 block of East Kimball Avenue in Woodstock for a vehicle crash.
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said 911 dispatchers reported the vehicle had struck a tree and CPR was in progress on the driver.
Firefighters and paramedics arrived within four minutes to find a heavily damaged SUV that had collided with a tree.
Police officers were performing CPR on the driver, who was immediately transferred to an ambulance, Vucha said.
McHenry County Coroner Dr. Michael Rein identified the driver as Greggory Rokus, 53, of Woodstock.
Rokus was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene due to the severity of his injuries.
Vucha said the man was the sole occupant of the vehicle and no other traveling vehicles were involved.
Firefighters remained on the scene until 12:30 a.m. Monday assisting law enforcement with the investigation and coordinating with the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.
Kimball Ave was shut down in both directions for the duration of the incident.
The McHenry County Regional Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) was called to the scene to conduct the crash investigation.
Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb said Tuesday that the SUV was traveling westbound on Kimball Avenue when it struck the tree.
Debris from the impact struck a parked car in a driveway.
Lieb said the homeowner was the one who called 911 to report the incident.
Rokus was still inside the car when officers arrived but the impact knocked him out of the driver’s seat.
Lieb said it is unknown yet what led to the crash.
He said investigators are doing the best they can to get answers for Rokus’ family.
Rokus was a 1989 graduate of Marian Central High School and a 1993 graduate of Loras College.
He worked as an advertising account manager for many years but his favorite job was working at Crystal Woods Golf Course in Woodstock, where he worked for 40 years, his obituary said.
Rokus was also an active member of the Woodstock Knights of Columbus at St. Mary Church in Woodstock.
His obituary said he served on many committees, organized the blood drives, and over the years served as Recorder, Deputy Grand Knight and Grand Knight.
Rokus was described as an avid sports fan. “When there was a Bear game on; or a Cub game on; Blackhawks game; or Notre Dame, everyone would be quiet because Greg would be yelling enough for everyone,” his obituary said.
Rokus leaves behind a wife and a daughter, as well as numerous other family members.
A funeral visitation is scheduled for Sunday at Schneider Leucht Merwin Cooney Funeral Home in Woodstock followed by a funeral mass on Monday at St. Mary Catholic Church in Woodstock.