Remembering Steve Shoemaker

Steve Shoemaker, pastor, poet and long-time host of WILL-AM's "Keepin' the Faith", died Monday night after a ten-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 73.

For more than a decade, Steve hosted a weekly Sunday talk show on WILL-AM devoted to religion and spirituality. "Keepin' The Faith" ran from 1999 until 2013. you can listen to an archive of "Keepin' the Faith" programs here and at the bottom of this page.

The 6' 8" Shoemaker was also at various times of his life a Presbyterian pastor (including a stint at the McKinley Presbyterian Church in Champaign), an activist for the less fortunate, active in several community organizations, a Democratic member of the Champaign County Board and a student at Urbana High School, where he played both basketball and trombone.

For several years, Steve was the director of the University YMCA at the University of Illinois at Urbana. The University Y has set up a Facebook page with photos of Steve here.

Shoemaker hired Kasey Umland, the Y’s Associate Director.  She says he worked to get those of different faith backgrounds to work together.

Umland also calls Shoemaker a person of great gravitas, but was also a bit of a "goofball."

“Whether it was flying kites, or every time we had volunteers for this program Dump and Run, and we would send the volunteers out, it would always be like, "Where are they?’ And it would always be that he had taken them to go get ice cream," she said. "Every single time. Or taken them out for lunch or something. He just was, I think, a person who really loved life.”

Throughout his life, Steve was a poet, sometimes publishing his work in The Christian Century and other magazines.

Earlier this year, he published a book of short poems entitled "A Sin A Week." It's described on its cover as a book “for folks with the inclination and ability to do wrong, but who have run out of bad ideas.”  

Former Centennial High School English Teacher Stan Yanchus knew Shoemaker for more than 30 years, and was a guest host for "Keepin' The Faith."

He says Shoemaker was very proud of the fact that he worked well with multiple denominations.

“He was one of the few poets that published poetry in notable Catholic publications, Protestant publications, Jewish publications, and he truly just epitomized that he was eclectic, and he very much was ecumenical in terms in bringing all people together, regardless of their perception of faith," Yanchus said.

Jim interviewed Steve about "A Sin A Week" last June. Audio of the interview is at the top of this page.

Steve Shoemaker is survived by his wife, Nadja, two children, Daniel and Marla, and two grandchildren, Carter and Grace.

According to the University Y, funeral services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana, 602 W. Green Street, on Saturday, October 15 at 7:00 P.M., with a reception to follow.