PEORIA -- Peoria County Clerk Steve Sonnemaker died Friday. He was 66 years old.
Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said Sonnemaker died peacefully, surrounded by dear friends, just before 6:45 p.m.
"He was one of the most kindest elected officials I have had the privilege to work with. He will be dearly missed," said Harwood.
Sonnemaker served on the Peoria County Board from 1980-84. He was elected to the Auditor's Office in 1984, a job he held until 2006, when he was elected Peoria County Clerk.
“Steve embodied the values of compassion, humility, and generosity,” staid County Clerk’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Deluhery in a prepared statement. “He will be greatly missed by those whose lives he touched and the community to which he was dedicated.”
Sonnemaker was the chairman of the World Wars I & II Veterans Committee which dedicated the memorial in the courthouse plaza in 2007, and the committee that dedicated a memorial to Korean War veterans last year.
Sonnemaker is the third elected official in Peoria County to pass away this week. Peoria County State's Attorney Jerry Brady died at his home Thursday afternoon. Dr. Greg Adamson, the Peoria County Board member representing District 11, died Tuesday after collapsing at his home.
