Homer Doak was born in Stronghurst, Illinois on December 24, 1894 to Freeman and Mary Doak. He entered Knox College in the fall of 1914 with the Class of 1918, but left after his first year to enroll at the University of Illinois to take classes in agriculture. A few years later he enlisted in the U.S. Navy on May 25, 1918, and went to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. In late September of that year, he contracted the Spanish influenza. He died on September 30th. Homer is buried in the Stronghurst Cemetery Mausoleum.
