Thomas “T.K..” Keith VanWinkle

Thomas “T.K..” Keith VanWinkle, 44 was a native of DeQuincy, LA and a longtime resident of Belleville, IL. He was born February 15, 1975 in Lake Charles, LA, passed away Monday, February 3, 2020 at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, IL.

T.K. was a 1994 graduate of Belleville East High School.

T.K. was a Conductor for the Terminal Association of St. Louis, MO for 21 years and the General Chairman of the Smart Local #469. T.K. previously worked as a Conductor for the Union Pacific and the Kansas City Southern railways. He was a 3rd generation railroader. He was also a member of First Baptist Church in O’Fallon, IL. T.K. enjoyed several hobbies which included hunting, fishing, cooking and spending time with his family. T.K.’s passion was to cook and serve others, especially his family. He was considered by many to be an excellent grill master. He was known to arrive at your doorstep unannounced with smoked meats that he enjoyed preparing. T.K. received such gratitude by helping and giving to others.

T.K. was generous, humble, dedicated, honest, hardworking, loving and a deeply devoted family man.

T.K. was taught at a young age to be a loyal and dependable person, not only to his job but also towards anyone that he encountered. His Christian roots provided guidance to always display his true character and instill those values into anyone that he could.

He was preceded in death by his:

• Father: Tommy Lynn VanWinkle
• Grandparents: Keith “O.K.” and Katherine Bland
• Aunt: Suzanne Bland DeRamus

T.K. is survived by his:

• Wife: Kimberly Baumann VanWinkle of Belleville, IL
• Children
  • Copelan Keith VanWinkle of St. Louis, MO
  • Dailyn Lee VanWinkle of Belleville, IL
  • Johnathan Jones of Belleville, IL
  • Justin Jones of Belleville, IL
  • Kaylee Jones of Belleville, IL
• Special child that he treated as his own:
  • Warren Leehy of Ballwin, MO.
• Mother: Jeannie Bland VanWinkle of Belleville, IL
• Sister: Sabrina (Neil) Fudge of Belleville, IL
• Cousins
  • Neali DeRamus (Keith) Perkins of Sulphur, LA
  • Nicole Gray Sullivan of Hook, TX
• Aunt: Olivia Gray of DeQuincy, LA
• Nieces and nephews
  • Dawson Perkins
  • Kamden Perkins
  • Brooklynn McDade
  • Brayden Mizzell
  • Brody Fudge
• Mother-in-law: Joyce Guetterman (Harold) Knoth
• Father-in-law: Danny (Colleen) Baumann

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made for his family c/o Kimberly VanWinkle.

Visitation: Visitation from 4:00 – 8:00 pm, Friday, February 7, 2020 at Kurrus Funeral Home in Belleville, IL. and from 12:00 to 1:00 pm at the First Baptist Church in O’Fallon, IL.

Services: A Celebration of life Service will be held Saturday, February 8, 2020. The train whistle will blow at 1:00 pm at the First Baptist Church in O’Fallon, IL, with Rev. Skip Leininger officiating. The family request that you bring your thoughts, prayers and fondest memories of T.K. to share if desired.