Chester Henry, a longtime Illinois state trooper in the Pontiac area and an Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame member, died at age 86 in Le Roy, Illinois, on Saturday.
One of Henry’s pages on Facebook had this message Sunday:
We would like to inform all of you faithful followers that Chester Donovan Henry passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 28 at 10:38 a.m. at the age of 86, surrounded by his beloved wife of 67 years and all of his children. We will miss him dearly but rejoice in knowing that he has been reunited in heaven with beloved family and is now forever cruising the streets of gold.
We will post arrangements for all Route 66 enthusiasts and fans who want to come bid a final farewell and cruise with us in your car, truck, motorcycle, whatever your style is!
Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Le Roy Christian Church in Le Roy, Illinois. Burial will be at Oak Grove Cemetery in Le Roy.
Henry was based from 1957 to 1984 out of Illinois State Police District 6 headquarters on Route 66, an Art Deco building that looked like a upside-down pistol.
Here’s a 2013 interview of Henry by the Illinois Scenic Byway:
Henry parlayed his experiences as a trooper into a book, “Route 66, My Home Away from Home.”
Henry was inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 1993. Driving the Mother Road was a part of his job description, said his wife Nellie, in a 2009 article in the Pontiac Daily Leader.
“It was his home away from home,” said Nellie Henry. “My husband knew just about every citizen in all those little towns that were from Dwight to McLean on Old Route 66. During his time of patrolling he helped out many people during his career.”
Henry was happy to tell some stories about his days as a trooper.
Everybody who traveled the highway while Henry was on duty was subject to his scrutiny. Henry said he pulled over a lot of politicians, one famous television newscaster who was traveling from the Chicago area, and he even pulled over the driver of a famous country music star.
“When I issued a ticket to this driver it was because the guy blew a light on Old 66,” said Henry. “The country music star sent me his album thanking me for doing that.” […]
Henry said there was one time when a 2-year-old boy in a Chicago research hospital needed a special serum. The relay was supposed to take place by airplane but could not because of fog.
“It was first picked up in St. Louis and transferred by train,” Henry said. “We picked it up at the train station in Atlanta (Ill.). We drove it up to Dwight and turned it over to District Five.
“It was given to the boy in time because I distinctly remember we had snow tires on when we delivered it,” said Henry. “I remember driving so fast that the tires sounded like popcorn. We were going about 110 mph.”
(Image of Chester Henry via Facebook)