SR0240 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0240 LRB101 05206 ALS 56107 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Mary Diane Seibel Cronin on September 8, 2018 at the age of 89; and

WHEREAS, Mary Cronin was born on May 9, 1929 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and attended St. Catherine University in St. Paul, where she graduated valedictorian of her class; and

WHEREAS, Mary Cronin loved to act; she fell in love with the stage at the age of 19 in her first professional role at The Old Log Theater in Excelsior, Minnesota; she and her husband at the time, James Cronin, founded The Village Players, an Oak Park theater company; known by the stage name Mary Seibel, she was a proud union member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Actors' Equity Association, and the Screen Actors Guild, serving as an advocate and as the fifth national vice president of SAG; for her service to SAG, she received the prestigious Howard Keel Award, the highest honor given by the SAG-AFTRA Committee of Locals; and

WHEREAS, Mary Cronin had roles in Robert Altman's "A Wedding", "The Package", "Major League", "Men Don't Leave", and "Raising Arizona"; television credits included "The Untouchables", "Crime Story", "Murder Ordained", "Good Night Sweet Wife", and "Deep Secrets"; she also performed in theaters throughout the country, most notably at Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre; and

WHEREAS, Mary Cronin was never happier than when she was in a show, digging up weeds in her garden in Lansing, Iowa, or on a boat in Minnesota with her sons on the first day of fishing season; she was famous for arriving at any family gathering with a large ham in the back seat; and

WHEREAS, Mary Cronin will be remembered for her glorious, passionate, beautiful life and also for singing at the top of her lungs in the basement of the house in Oak Park, for welcoming all to dinner, and for long zealous political conversations around the kitchen table with a bottomless cup of coffee; and

WHEREAS, Mary Cronin was the loving mother of Brian, Colin, Sean, Dennis, Kathryn, Michael, and Margaret; the beloved sister of Nancy Culligan and Dorothy "Sunny" Seibel and Dr. Michael Seibel; she lives on in the spirit of her 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Mary Diane Seibel Cronin and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Mary Cronin as an expression of our deepest sympathy.