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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Raymond S. "Ray" Cachares of Springfield,
4who passed away on May 14, 2020; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares was born to David and June (Zilis)
6Cachares on January 1, 1954, the first baby of 1954 in the
7Roseland area on the far south side of Chicago; he received his
8professional education at Loyola University, the Illinois
9Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois at
10Chicago; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Dedicated to public service, Ray Cachares was
12well-respected in his early roles at the Chicago Crime
13Commission and the City of Chicago; he then moved downstate to
14serve in the City of Springfield budget office; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares organized the first Springfield St.
16Patrick's Day parade, which is still held annually; he was also
17responsible for organizing LincolnFest, which was held many
18summers in the Capitol Square area in the 1980s; he was
19instrumental in forming the first United Cerebral Palsy service
20office in Springfield along with philanthropic efforts for
21United Cerebral Palsy; he served on the National Board of
22Directors and received the President's Award in 1998; he was a

 

 

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1founding member of the annual Blue Chip Gala, which still
2continues to assist fundraising for United Cerebral Palsy; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares moved back to Chicago and was
4appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Streets and Sanitation;
5he transitioned to overseeing programming, staffing, and
6operations at Navy Pier; he then served 15 years as the
7Director of Business Services for the Secretary of State in
8Springfield and retired in March of 2020; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares was heavily involved with the Boy
10Scouts, first as an Eagle Scout and then with the Exploring
11Program; he served in local and regional positions and then on
12the National Explorer Cabinet; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares enjoyed cooking, especially
14grilling, and feeding his family and friends at his Springfield
15home; he enjoyed traveling the world and was an avid fan of
16college football and the Chicago Bears; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares possessed a work ethic and the
18motivation for improving the quality and efficiency of all
19workers under his direction; he cared deeply for those whom he
20managed and worked to inspire them, never forgetting to
21acknowledge a job well done; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares was preceded in death by his parents
2and his brother, David; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Ray Cachares is survived by his spouse of 22
4years, Richard Martineau; his sister, Lou Ann; his brother,
5George (Carol); his nieces and nephews, David, Ruth, Anna,
6Julia, and Benjamin; and his great-nephews, Cohen and David
7Alex; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
9ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
10Raymond S. "Ray" Cachares and extend our sincere condolences to
11his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
12further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to the family of Ray Cachares as an expression of our
15deepest sympathy.