David W. Torbert Obituary (1984

David Wesley Torbert, loving husband, father, son and brother, passed away Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, at Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Ill. He was 36. Born to John and Denise (Powers) Torbert, David grew up in Clinton as the youngest - and clearly favorite - of four siblings (just don't tell the others). He spent his early years at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago overcoming insurmountable health complications with a smile on his face and a prank in his back pocket for nurses and doctors alike. David showed a love of sports at an early age, following everything from football and basketball to baseball and golf. In high school, he turned his love of sports into a hobby and career, serving as a member of the Clinton High School golf team, working as a sportswriter for the local newspaper and officiating youth soccer and basketball games at the Clinton Community YMCA. He was an avid Cubs fan, proclaiming them the greatest baseball team on earth and arguing with anyone who dared disagree with him. He and his wife, Rachel (Baum) were high school classmates and college sweethearts. The pair married in 2008 after David graduated from Western Illinois University with a degree in journalism and coaching. David and Rachel spent a short stint in Nebraska, where David begrudgingly worked as sportswriter covering the Nebraska Huskers before moving back to settle in Clinton. Using his writing and communication talents in a variety of jobs, David settled in as the Youth and Adult Sports Program Director for the Clinton Community YMCA, where he served as the Camp Osage director and coordinated all youth sports programs. Teaching and coaching youth basketball, football and soccer, and instilling a love of sport, sportsmanship and Christian principles of the YMCA, was a task he dearly loved. David also volunteered his time with the DeWitt County Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Central Illinois CEO program and the DeWitt County Development Council. David's family, wife and daughter, and friends, were a top priority, and he expressed his love often, always flashing a million-dollar smile and willing to drop anything to help a friend or family member in need. He is survived in death by his wife, Rachel, and daughter, Hannah; parents, John and Denise; brother, Tim (Stephanie) Torbert and nephew Jake and niece Alexa; sister Jamie (Christopher) McGrew and nephews Liam, Quinn and Conor; sister Amie Farrell and nieces Eileen and Elise; and sister Tracie (Neil) Kennedy and nieces Ellie and Emerson and nephews Cooper, Anderson and Oliver. David was preceded in death by his grandparents Herman and Brownie Powers and Dude and Dixie Torbert. Due to the ongoing pandemic and current public health directives, a private memorial and graveside service for family and invited guests will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, at Calvert Funeral Home, in Clinton. Given David's love of youth sports and his affinity for nurses and doctors who saved his life as a child, the family requests any memorial donations be made to Clinton Community YMCA's Strong Kids Campaign, 417 S. Alexander St., Clinton, IL 61727 and Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, 225 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. A public celebration of life will follow at the Clinton Community YMCA this summer.