The Winnett family of Waukegan, Illinois wishes to announce the sad and untimely passing of their beloved
son, Ethan Winnett. Ethan August Winnett (1985 - 2023) was 38 years old.
Ethan will be remembered as someone who was "intricately a part of everyone who shared love with him in any form” by his younger sister Elanna; and by the rest of his family. She added, “he will never be truly gone”.
He will also be remembered as someone who
was always ready to provide computer and technical support, and help his
friends with their resumes. His penchant for poetry, his love of music, and his
fun-loving attitude touched the lives of everyone around him, and helped keep them
in good spirits.
Ethan Winnett was the best friend of
everyone he met.
Ethan will also be remembered - by the
Green Party – as a dedicated and busy activist, who served as the interim
chairman of the Lake County chapter of the Green Party of Illinois since the
mid-2010s. Ethan was a dedicated chairman, helping to keep the chapter open and
populated through difficult years of low attendance, and drawing more people
into the chapter and party. His outspoken nature, and his righteous indignation
at the powers-that-be, helped inspire and guide the party through years of
oppression and antagonism. And for that, he will be sorely missed, and not soon
forgotten.
He will also be remembered - by the environmental
group Clean Power Lake County – as someone who was committed to cleaning up
trash throughout the Waukegan area. He was also interested and involved in
community gardening in Waukegan.
Ethan was an indispensable member of the community
of Lake County, providing charitable services to its people, such as by preparing
free meals for the homeless (despite struggling on-and-off with homelessness
himself at the time).
He will also be remembered for his work
for the Veterans’ Administration at the Great Lakes Naval Station, were he
worked in the prosthetics department, and helped to repair electronic devices for elderly veterans. Additionally, he was a veteran of the
United States Army, stationed in South Korea, and a tireless advocate for veterans’
rights, and for achieving peace worldwide.
Ethan also briefly worked as a substitute
teacher at Waukegan East High School.
He is survived by his mother Lana; his sisters Elanna
Winnett, Esther Redding; his brother Buddy
Winnett, Jr., and other siblings. Ethan was preceded in death by his father and hero, Buddy
Winnett, Sr., who passed away in 2019.
As
a lover of nature, science, and technology, Ethan was not religiously observant; so in
his memory - in lieu of prayers - mourners are encouraged to do the things that
Ethan loved; singing songs, sharing poetry, doing something to be close to
nature (such as planting a tree), eating Ethan's favorite foods (jap-chae and kim chi), or simply reminding someone
they care about that they love them.
Anyone wishing to make a donation in Ethan's memory may contact Clean Power Lake County, or the Green Party of Illinois.
Anyone wishing to be kept updated
about memorial services for Ethan should contact his sister Elanna ("Ela"), by e-mailing earth2ela@gmail.com, as that information
will become available soon.
Elanna Winnett contributed to the content and editing of this article.
Portions of this article were originally written
on October 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 31st, 2023;
and November 3rd, 2023,
and were originally published in an article titled
"In Memoriam:
Green Party of Lake County, Illinois
Announces Passing of Ethan Winnett";
which can be read at the link below:
Edited and expanded on November 14th, 2023.
