BY Peoria Journal Star

Cory Monk was the type of guy people gravitated around at parties and the type who loved adventure.

Sadly, that wanderlust and thirst for adrenaline appears to have led to the former Roanoke man's death last week when he disappeared while scuba diving off the coast of Belize, said his mother, Connie Monk, on Wednesday.

The Belizean Coast Guard searched the area but found no trace of Cory Monk. According to scuba-diving Web sites, it's not likely the body will be recovered as the weight of his gear would cause him to sink in the ocean's water.

"It's hard not knowing," said his mother, who has scheduled a memorial service at the Knapp-Johnson-Harris Funeral Home in Roanoke for Jan. 18, coinciding with what would have been her son's 36th birthday. Visitation will be at 6 p.m. with the service beginning at 8 p.m.

According to accounts from people on the boat as well as others in the Belize diving community, Cory Monk, who was known as Gringe, was a dive master for a commercial outfit which took a boat full of tourists for a weeklong trip in the Caribbean. On Dec. 20, he and others went on a night dive at 8 p.m., with most coming back up an hour later.

"Another guest, also diving alone and at 92 feet along the wall, may have seen his light much farther down the wall. It was not unusual for (Cory Monk) to take nearly 2-hour dives so it didn't become apparent that something might have happened until around 10 p.m.," according to a post on Scubaboard.com about the accident.

Another post from a person on the trip relates that it appeared Cory might have been diving deeper than the guests. Details about what actually happened remain unclear.

Divers aboard the boat he was on also searched for him. Within hours, Connie Monk got a knock on her door from a local police officer who told her the devastating news.

"About the only thing that they can say, he was probably too deep or went into some kind of narcosis or something on that order," his mother said.

Cory seized upon scuba diving two years ago after suffering a pulmonary embolism while mountain climbing in Peru. He gave that up but still had an itch for adventure. Scuba was the answer, said his sister-in-law, Michelle Monk of Goodfield.

He signed on with the Belize company this summer and quickly became a favorite of both tourists and crew. He was a strong swimmer and was praised for his diving ability, said his mother; statements backed up by several comments on Scubaboard.com.

Connie last heard from her son about a week before the accident. He was coming home soon and had plans for things he needed to get done here.

"Just remember to love the people around you because you just don't know," she said. "In the end, that's all that matters is that you love them."

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