Champaign couple killed in I-55 dust storm wreck were 'one-of-a-kind people'

Deb Pressey, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·3 min read

May 4—CHAMPAIGN — Michael and Amy Zinchuk of Champaign were returning from a visit with their daughter in St. Louis on Monday when they were caught in the dust storm along Interstate 55 near Springfield that caused the devastating pile-up of dozens of vehicles.

Elizabeth Stultz, the oldest of the couple's three children, said her husband showed her a news story about the accident and suggested she call them to see if they were OK.

When her calls went to voicemail, she wasn't concerned at first, she said. But then texts to her mom went unanswered.

"The alarms started going off in my head when my youngest brother, Matthew, who lives at home, texted me that my mom's piano students showed up at their house and my mom was not there," she said.

It wasn't until later Monday that Stultz learned that her parents were among the seven fatalities in the I-55 accident.

"I've been in shock ever since," she said. "It's been incredibly hard. We were told that they passed instantly. It was pretty quick."

A GoFundMe fundraising campaign launched for the Zinchuks' children quickly surpassed its $10,000 goal Thursday.

"I, like many other families in the Champaign area, first knew Amy as their child's amazing piano teacher," reads the post by campaign organizer Debbie Rodriguez of Champaign. "Quickly though, you become friends with this fabulous woman. She had such a positive impact on so many with her weekly piano lessons. Over the years, I was also grateful to get to know Mike and their youngest son, and their 2 wonderful dogs who were always happy to see you."

According to an obituary for the couple, Mike and Amy Zinchuk met as students at the University of Illinois.

Stultz said she is the only one of her parents' three children who doesn't live in Champaign, and they visited her regularly a few times a year.

"I always had a good time with them," she said.

She and her husband said goodbye to her parents Sunday evening because they were both at work Monday when her parents got on the road to head home, she said.

"It's hard to think that that was the last time I saw them," she said.

Stultz said both her parents worked two jobs and instilled many of their values in all three children.

Her father worked primarily in sales and at FedEx, and her mom taught piano lessons at their family home and worked in the office for the restaurant and bar group formerly owned by Nieto Enterprises and CMT Ventures. She continued working there after the business was sold to Green Street Realty owner Chris Saunders and renamed CRS Hospitality.

At times, Stultz said, there were 50 to 60 piano students a week coming to their home, and her dad was supportive and proud of her mom's success.

"Both my parents were very active parents, as far as staying involved," she said. "My brothers and I were involved in every sport under the sun."

Their parents took them to every game and tournament, she said.

She and her mother were each other's confidants and concert buddies, Stultz said.

Her dad was the kind of person who would offer help to other people but could also be fierce in defending his family, she said.

Her parents were "one-of-a-kind people," and it's been incredible to hear about the impact they had on other people, she said.

"My brothers and I have been very overwhelmed with everyone reaching out," she said.