Hit-run driver sought after Big Lake man, 76, killed while fetching his newspaper

Ira Shank, 76, crossed Hwy. 25 each morning to retrieve his mail and newspaper. Sunday it proved fatal. "I'm angry at the person that took off," his daughter said.

By CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune

Last update: January 19, 2009 - 7:16 AM

Just about every morning for the last 13 years, Ira Everett Shank walked down his long driveway in Big Lake and crossed two lanes of traffic on Highway 25 to retrieve his copy of the Star Tribune from the mailbox.

The 76-year-old former bartender-turned-farmer had begun suffering from arthritis, so his family lobbied the local post office twice in the past five years to relocate his mailbox to his side of the street, which he kept illuminated with a light.

Their pleas were rejected despite the highway’s 55 mile-per-hour speed limit, said Shank’s daughter, Rachael Smith. The family was told the switch would be too dangerous for the postal carrier, Smith said.

Shank was retrieving his newspaper about 7 a.m. Sunday when a vehicle struck him, according to the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office. The driver fled. Another driver found Shank lying on the road and called authorities. He was taken by ambulance to Monticello Hospital, where he died.

Shank’s faithful German shepherd mix, Echo, ran out to him after the accident, then raced back to the house to scratch at the patio door. When Shank’s wife, Jeanine Shank, didn’t hear her husband open the front door (Shank and Echo often made it a game to see who would get home first), she feared the worst. Before she could get outside, authorities were knocking on her front door with the grim news.

“I’m very frustrated,” Smith said of the accident and the family’s failed attempts to relocate her dad’s mailbox. “I’m angry. I’m angry at the person that took off.”

Smith said her father’s legs were broken and he suffered head injuries in the hit-and-run. An autopsy is scheduled for today .

“I, for the life of me, can’t believe someone can hit a person and take off,” Smith said. “They’re certainly not doing themselves or my father’s death any justice at all.”

Authorities didn’t release any information about the suspect vehicle, but are asking for the public’s help in tracking down the driver.

Smith said the family is not aware of any evidence left at the scene that would provide clues to the car’s make or model.

Shank, who was born and raised in Big Lake, tended bar nearby before becoming a corn and soybean farmer. He was an animal lover, and kept 20 head of cattle — his “girls” —as pets, Smith said. Each cow had a name, and Shank bestowed the moniker, Miracle, on a calf born during a recent snowstorm.

“He loved people,” Smith said. “He loved his animals.”

Sunday afternoon, Echo was noticeably disturbed by the day’s events, she said.

“[Echo] just seems lost right now, like we all are,” Smith said.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to call the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office at 763-241-2500.

Staff writer Kim Palmer also contributed to this report.

Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391

Just about every morning for the last 13 years, Ira Everett Shank walked down his driveway in Big Lake, Minn., and crossed two lanes of traffic on Hwy. 25 to get his copy of the Star Tribune from the mailbox.

The 76-year-old former bartender-turned-farmer suffered from arthritis, so his family had lobbied the local post office twice in the past five years to move his mailbox to his side of the road. Their pleas were rejected despite the highway's 55-mile-per-hour speed limit, said Shank's daughter, Rachael Smith. The family was told such a switch would be too dangerous for the mail carrier.

Shank was retrieving his newspaper about 7 a.m. Sunday when a vehicle struck him, and its driver fled, according to the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office. Another driver found Shank and called authorities. He was taken by ambulance to Monticello Hospital, where he died.

Shank's dog, Echo, ran out to him after the accident, then raced back to the house to scratch at the patio door. When Shank's wife, Jeanine, didn't hear her husband open the front door, she feared the worst. Before she could get outside, authorities were knocking on her front door with the grim news.

"I'm very frustrated," Smith said of the accident and the family's failed attempts to relocate her dad's mailbox. "I'm angry at the person that took off."

Smith said her father's legs were broken and he suffered head injuries in the hit-and-run. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

"I, for the life of me, can't believe someone can hit a person and take off," Smith said.

Authorities have not released any information about the suspect vehicle, but they are asking for the public's help in tracking down the driver. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sherburne County sheriff's office at 763-241-2500.

Staff writer Kim Palmer contributed to this report. Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391

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