Section of Rt. 30 in Kendall County designated ‘Herschel Luckinbill Road’ to honor late local veteran

The Illinois House of Representatives recently unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 79 which designates a section of Route 30 in Kendall County in memory of the late U.S. Navy Veteran Herschel Luckinbill.

Chief co-sponsors of the resolution were Reps. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego; Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego; Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora; Maura Hirschauer, D-West Chicago; and Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield.

Luckinbill, a former Montgomery resident, passed away July 28, 2021.

“Herschel was a special man in so many ways,” Kifowit said in a news release. “He distinguished himself with his service in Vietnam while in the United States Navy, and after his military service he continued a life of service to veterans and other members of the community staying active as a volunteer and a leader for so many.”

As a result of the resolution’s passage, Route 30 from Douglas Road to River Road will be named “Herschel Luckinbill Road.”

Luckinbill served two tours of duty on the shores of Vietnam during the war aboard the USS O’Brien, a destroyer based in California.

His passion for helping fellow veterans was legendary. Luckinbill served 25 times as a guardian to veterans for Honor Flight Chicago, which flies veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorials built in tribute to the service of our WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War Veterans. In addition, he was active in bringing the Vietnam Moving Wall to Aurora and Oswego and also the Middle East Conflict Wall to Oswego, further examples of his dedication to community.

In 2008 he took on the leadership of the Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club, whose purpose was to motivate more than 65 area veterans to meet every other week for breakfast to stay active and engaged in the community. Luckinbill was also very active in many youth sports and other area organizations.

“The whole community was saddened to hear the news of Herschel passing away in July 2021,” Kifowit said. “This is a befitting reminder to all of the dedication he had to our veterans and the entire community.”