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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Ralph Tracy Turner of Normal, who passed
4away on May 7, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Ralph Turner was born in Lincoln to James B. and
6Katherine Eleanor (Witham) Turner on May 27, 1946; he graduated
7from McLean High School in 1964 and Tulane University in 1968,
8where he played collegiate baseball for two years and spent his
9junior year in Bristol, England, which led to a lifelong
10passion for travel; he received his master's degree in
11political science from Illinois State University in 1970 and a
12juris doctor of law from the University of Illinois College of
13Law in 1973; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Ralph Turner returned to Bloomington in 1973 to
15practice law; in 1977, he founded the Luedtke, Hartweg and
16Turner law firm, eventually Hartweg, Turner, Wood & DeVary; he
17was the managing partner of his firm for 31 years and was
18respected and admired for his skill as a lawyer, his service as
19a citizen, and his dedication to his profession; for over 25
20years, he taught probate law to paralegal and pre-law students
21at Illinois State University; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Ralph Turner was a Life Fellow of the American Bar

 

 

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1Foundation and the Illinois Bar Foundation; he was a past
2member of the Board of Governors of the McLean County Bar
3Association and a long-serving member of the Board of Directors
4and past chairman (1994-95) of the Illinois Institute of
5Continuing Legal Education; he enjoyed serving the American Bar
6Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Board
7of Directors of the McLean County Bar Association; he served as
8chair of the ABA's Young Lawyers Committee (1981-82), chair of
9the ABA's Decedents Estates Administration Committee
10(1987-1993), and chair of the Agriculture Committee of the
11ABA's Section of Taxation (1988-89); in 1994, he was elected as
12a Fellow to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel;
13in 2009, the McLean County Bar Association awarded him the
14Lincoln Award of Excellence; and
 
15    WHEREAS, For over 20 years, Ralph Turner served in a
16variety of roles with BroMenn Healthcare; he served on the
17boards of the BroMenn Foundation and the BroMenn Physicians
18Medical Corp; he was chair of the BroMenn Healthcare Systems
19Board of Directors (2009-2010) and helped guide BroMenn from a
20standalone healthcare system through its merger with Advocate
21Health Systems, later serving as chairman of the Advocate
22BroMenn Governing Council (2010); and
 
23    WHEREAS, Ralph Turner was an active member of the
24Bloomington Kiwanis Club, serving as president in 1990-91; he

 

 

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1particularly enjoyed supporting Camp Limberlost; he was a
2member of Second Presbyterian Church for over 45 years, serving
3as an elder and chair of the Board of Trustees; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Ralph Turner enjoyed his Sunday golf games with
5friends; he looked forward to meeting every week with his men's
6small group and his Saturday breakfast group; his greatest joy
7was spending time with his children and grandchildren at the
8family farm in McLean, in New Orleans, on Longboat Key, or
9visiting them in New York and California; he relished his many
10travels in the U.S. and abroad, exploring the world; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Ralph Turner was preceded in death by his parents
12and his brother-in-law, Roger Miller; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Ralph Turner is survived by his daughters,
14Christine (Eduardo Moreno), Ashley, and Andrea (Steven
15Moffitt); his grandchildren, Hayden and Grayson Moffitt, with a
16third due in late May; his step-grandchildren, Eddie and Josue
17Moreno; his sisters, Susan (Kenneth) Walden, Nancy Miller, Ann
18Turner, and Alice (Richard) Girdler; his close friend, Martha
19Mitchell; his former wife, Karyn Pitts Turner; and many nieces
20and nephews and their children; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
22ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of

 

 

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1Ralph Tracy Turner and extend our sincere condolences to his
2family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
3further
 
4    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
5presented to the family of Ralph Turner as an expression of our
6deepest sympathy.