Obituaries: Wilken, Klaiber, Coleman, Blum

Royce C. Wilken

Royce C. Wilken, who spent 38 years at Archer Daniels Midland, served as the president of American River Transportation Company, and chaired both the American Waterways Operators (AWO) and the Inland Waterways Users Board, died February 11. He was 71.

Wilken was a native of Champaign, Ill., and a graduate of Centennial High School and the University of Illinois, where he earned a degree in agricultural economics. Wilken is survived by his wife of 41 years, Lois, their two sons, Tyler (Tina Marie) and Zachary (Grace), and his two sisters, Lyndell Wilken and Mylla Hunter.

Upon his retirement, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) honored Wilken with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Just last year, ARTCo honored Wilken with the christening of the mv. Royce Wilken, with the company also presenting him with a commemorative ship’s bell and a model of the namesake vessel.

In a message to AWO members, Jennifer Carpenter, president and CEO of AWO, shared a portion of Wilken’s message to association members in 2007.

“There is no better time for us to come together than when so many high-stakes issues are at hand,” Wilken wrote. “AWO allows us to be seen by policymakers as a nation-wide industry that has enormous value for America’s economy, environment, national security and quality of life.”

“Royce’s leadership was crucial to helping AWO navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that prevailed during his chairmanship, and his legacy of strong, inclusive, good-humored servant leadership was a source of inspiration to me and so many others in our industry throughout his long career,” Carpenter said.

A visitation and memorial service were held February 21 at Grace Lutheran Church in Champaign.

David W. Klaiber

David W. “Dave” Klaiber, 78, of Ashland, Ky., died January 23. Klaiber graduated from Holy Family School in Ashland and attended Marshall University before going to work for Ashland Oil Inc. On vessels, Klaiber worked as a deckhand and tankerman. He then served as a dispatcher in the company’s marine department. He later served as vice president of Inland Towing, a subsidiary of Ashland, and was on the board of the Greenup/Boyd County River Port Authority. He later worked for Marathon Ashland, a joint venture, and retired from Marathon. In 1999, Blessey Marine Services honored Klaiber by naming the 3,200 hp. Mv. Drema Klaiber after his wife.

Capt. Omer Coleman

Cana Omer Coleman, 88, passed away February 11. Coleman spent 43 years with Crounse Corporation and also served on the board of directors of Amherst Madison. He was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy, whom he married on December 22, 1954. Coleman is survived by his children, Bryan Coleman (Donna), Pamela Bach (Eric), Lelia Brannen (Clay) and Lynn Harber (Dale), along with four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Coleman started in the maritime industry as a deckhand aboard the mv. Alice and worked his way up to captain. He was the first captain aboard the mv. Jean Akin when it left the shipyard in 1975, then worked as a dispatcher and manager of the company’s Maysville, Ky., division.

Capt. Jim Blum

Capt. James Richard “Jim” Blum, died February 21 at the age of 79. Blum was the husband of Annie Amantea Blum, the father of Angela Blum and Paul Blum (Jamie), and an “unwavering anchor” to his three grandchildren.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Blum attended Xavier High School and Xavier University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. While in college in 1968, Blum noticed a job card for the steamer Delta Queen, which was hiring a purser for the summer. He landed the job and made it a career, eventually earning his mate’s license and then his master’s license for unlimited tonnage vessels.

In 1970, with the Delta Queen in danger of being closed due to the Safety at Sea Act and tied up in St. Louis on its presumed final voyage to New Orleans, Blum met Annie Amantea, who was working on the steamer Admiral. The pair hit is off, and in 1973 Blum moved to St. Louis to marry Annie and work as a pilot for Streckfus Steamers on the Admiral. He remained with the Admiral for two years, then served a brief period aboard the Belle of Louisville. In 1976, he returned to the Delta Queen as captain. Then, in 1983, he went back to the Belle of Louisville as captain.

In 1987, Blum launched a new-yet-short-lived river excursion business on the Missouri River in St. Charles. He continued his river career with the federal government through the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Office, guiding the next of mariners into maritime industry. He retired in 2015 after 25 years of service. He maintained his master’s license for the rest of his life.

When not on the river, Blum was a photographer, train enthusiast and faithful parishioner of the Shrine of St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Louis. He was also a volunteer at the St. Louis Mercantile Library. He and Annie enjoyed cruising and visiting family in Sicily.

A visitation will be held March 2 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary in St. Louis. A second visitation will take place March 3 at the Shrine of St. Joseph, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Calvary Cemetery, also in St. Louis.