Lawrence McKenney said Friday he figured something was wrong when his 68-year-old brother was several hours late in returning from his job at Northeastern Illinois University the night before.
"When I got a call from the hospital, my stomach dropped. I knew it was my brother," said McKenney, 73.
Officials at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston told McKenney that his brother had been hit by a car early Thursday evening as he rode his bicycle near Main Street and Skokie Boulevard in Skokie. Robert McKenney, 68, was thrown from the bicycle and crushed his skull, his brother said.
McKenney was pronounced dead at 1 a.m. Friday at St. Francis, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Robert McKenney regularly biked the four miles from his Skokie home to NEIU, where he worked in the purchasing department. "If the weather was nice, he rode his bike," his brother said.
Robert McKenney, who lived with his brother, was scheduled to work a half day at the university Thursday and was expected home about 3 p.m., Lawrence McKenney said.
The bicyclist was riding south on Skokie near Main when he was hit by a motorist, his brother said. He flipped over and struck his head.
He was a veteran who served in Korea, his brother said. "He was a cheerful guy, very religious and never missed a Mass," his brother said. "The pope should have his record."
Police said Robert McKenney was trying to cross the street when he was struck. The 30-year-old driver of the car tried to avoid McKenney and crashed into a pole, police said.
The investigation is ongoing, but the driver had not been charged, police said.
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