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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the deaths of John R. and Reta A. Dowling of Watseka, | ||||||
4 | who both passed away on June 17, 2018; and
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5 | WHEREAS, John Dowling was born in Murrayville to John W. | ||||||
6 | and Hattie Mae (Cooper) Dowling on August 20, 1933; Reta | ||||||
7 | Dowling was born in Danville to Myron R. and Blanche H. | ||||||
8 | (McGahan) Miller on January 6, 1934; John served in the United | ||||||
9 | States Army Reserve during the Korean War; he and Rita were | ||||||
10 | married in Danville on January 28, 1955; John received his | ||||||
11 | Bachelor of Science in History from Eastern Illinois University | ||||||
12 | and his Master of Science in Educational Administration from | ||||||
13 | Illinois State University; and
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14 | WHEREAS, John Dowling started teaching and coaching in | ||||||
15 | Armstrong in 1955; he then continued at Crescent-Iroquois High | ||||||
16 | School from 1959 to 1963; in 1963, he joined the Watseka High | ||||||
17 | School teaching staff, where he also served as principal for 12 | ||||||
18 | years, ending in 1984; he then became the grade school | ||||||
19 | principal at both Wanda Kendall and Nettie Davis elementary | ||||||
20 | schools; he also served as acting superintendent for a short | ||||||
21 | time; he was awarded Iroquois County Teacher of the Year in | ||||||
22 | 1968; he was an active member of the IHSA Board of Directors, | ||||||
23 | where he was a past-president; he was also a member of the |
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1 | Iroquois County Board and served as the Middleport Township | ||||||
2 | Supervisor; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Reta Dowling started teaching in Bismarck Grade | ||||||
4 | School, and later at Crescent City Grade School and Glenn | ||||||
5 | Raymond Junior High School; she graduated from Illinois State | ||||||
6 | University in 1969 with her Bachelor of Science in Education | ||||||
7 | and started in the art department at Watseka Community High | ||||||
8 | School that same year; she also co-owned and taught at the Pied | ||||||
9 | Piper and Building Blocks Preschool; she went on to teach 4-H | ||||||
10 | students for many years; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, John Dowling served as an Iroquois County | ||||||
12 | Republican Precinct Committeeman and with the Ford-Iroquois | ||||||
13 | Board of Health, the Watseka Library Board, and the I-KAN Joint | ||||||
14 | Education Committee; and | ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, Reta Dowling served as president of the Iroquois | ||||||
16 | Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and was also a member of the boards | ||||||
17 | for the Iroquois Mental Health Association, the Watseka Bridge | ||||||
18 | Club, and the Iroquois County Republican Women; and | ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, John Dowling was awarded Watseka Area Citizen of | ||||||
20 | the Year in 1989; he was a frequent volunteer at Iroquois | ||||||
21 | Memorial Hospital and helped organize the annual hospice brunch | ||||||
22 | for many years; he was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement |
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1 | Award from the Watseka community; he was a member of the | ||||||
2 | Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame; and | ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, John Dowling enjoyed history and was a lifelong | ||||||
4 | St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan; he had a love for baseball, | ||||||
5 | starting with being a batboy for the Dodgers minor league team | ||||||
6 | in Danville; he authored a book on the history of the Three-I | ||||||
7 | League, which is in the library of the Baseball Hall of Fame in | ||||||
8 | Cooperstown, New York; talking baseball and being an advocate | ||||||
9 | for Iroquois County and Watseka were some of his greatest | ||||||
10 | passions; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Reta Dowling enjoyed ceramics and was a | ||||||
12 | watercolorist; she was a former Iroquois County 4-H judge and | ||||||
13 | was a blue ribbon winner for her angel food cakes; she was | ||||||
14 | always taking on a new project, whether it was framing pictures | ||||||
15 | for friends, making pies for the Gooseberry Festival, or | ||||||
16 | immersing herself in her grandchildren's latest school | ||||||
17 | project; she was the official costume maker for all of her | ||||||
18 | children and grandchildren, and inspired them all to bring | ||||||
19 | creativity into their lives; Reta also sang with the Iroquois | ||||||
20 | County Cantata Choir; and | ||||||
21 | WHEREAS, John and Reta Dowling were active members of the | ||||||
22 | First Presbyterian Church in Watseka; they traveled all over | ||||||
23 | the world, usually with friends and family and always made new |
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1 | friends along the way; St. Louis Cardinals spring training was | ||||||
2 | one of their favorite places; they were both avid readers and | ||||||
3 | loved spending time with their grandchildren, playing games | ||||||
4 | with them and attending their activities; and
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5 | WHEREAS, John Dowling was preceded in death by his parents; | ||||||
6 | Reta Dowling was preceded in death by her parents and her | ||||||
7 | brother, Fred Miller; and
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8 | WHEREAS, John and Reta Dowling are survived by their sons, | ||||||
9 | Michael (Kathy) Dowling, David (Kathy) Dowling, and Robert | ||||||
10 | (Kary) Dowling; their grandchildren, William Dowling, Laura | ||||||
11 | Dowling, Chris Dowling, Elizabeth Dowling, Kelsey Dowling, | ||||||
12 | Jori Dowling, and Mason Dowling; and their nieces, Susan | ||||||
13 | (Miller) Bruner and Sonja Miller; therefore, be it
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14 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
15 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
16 | John R. and Reta A. Dowling, and extend our sincere condolences | ||||||
17 | to their family, friends, and all who knew and loved them; and | ||||||
18 | be it further
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19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
20 | presented to the family of John and Reta Dowling as an | ||||||
21 | expression of our deepest sympathy.
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