Damon Banks

Damon Banks was born on January 16, 1984, to Theodora Banks and Jim H. Kline, in Maywood, Illinois, approximately 29 mins after his twin sister (Danielle). Damon’s wit, humor, charm, and leadership skills became apparent at an early age. His grandmother recalls that he was extremely curious as a child and learning was easy for him.

Damon graduated from Walther Lutheran High School in 2002, where he excelled in wrestling and football. While at Walther, Damon maintained an undefeated record in wrestling during his senior year and represented Walther Lutheran as an IHSA Individual State Qualifier in 2002. After high school, Damon attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management in 2006.

While attending IWU, Damon continued to play football as an Outside Linebacker. With the guidance of Coach Norm Eash, Damon was selected three times for 2nd team CCIW (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) all-conference and was also elected team captain. In 2005, he was selected to participate on the NCAA Leadership Council.

Damon’s experiences at IWU, along with the mentorship of Mr. Jim Heffernon, led to a promising career in leadership at Frito-Lay (PepsiCo). Damon began his career as a Route Sales Associate where he was awarded Route Sales Associate of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2008. He was quickly promoted to District Sales Leader and over the next 9 years he received several other accolades and honorable mentions which lead to his position of Sales Senior Zone Supervisor. While in the role, he managed several large accounts for Frito-Lay including Walmart, Target, CVS, and Walgreens for the Heartland Region. Damon’s charismatic nature and sense of humor made him stand out when giving presentations and making sales pitches to customers. In 2017, Damon worked on the Executive Market Tour that was noted by upper management as the best they’d seen in a while. He often told his family that he just “Loved Chips”.

In December of 2017, Damon received his M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University.

Although academic achievement and a successful career were very important to him, his greatest accomplishment was fathering his beloved son Chase. Damon loved his son more than anything and made sure that moments they spent together were filled with fun, laughter, and good times.

Damon is going to be missed more than anyone can realize. He quietly made his transition on February 20th, 2018. He was genuinely admired, respected, and above all else loved by his family, friends, and colleagues.

To cherish his memory, Damon leaves his son Chase Banks Kline; father, Jim H. Kline; mother, Theodora Banks; grandmother, Louise Banks; three sisters, Rosalind Kline, Felicia Kline, and Danielle Banks; two nieces, Lindsey Thomas and Lauren Thomas; close family friends Janet McGhee and Donny Raybon; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

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