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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Gary D. Niebur of Edwardsville, who
4passed away on May 2, 2020; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was born in Wood River to Melvin and
6Edna (Huelsman) Niebur on September 13, 1955; he grew up on
7Dunlap Lake and spent many summers playing Little League and
8Legion Post 199 baseball; he loved to recount the story of the
9home run that made its way from the ball field to the Leclaire
10water tower; he married Debra Werden at St. Boniface Church in
11Edwardsville on July 15, 1983; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur served as chief executive officer of
13the Edwardsville YMCA for 35 years, accepting the position in
141982; he established the financial assistance scholarship
15program to ensure that every resident could participate in YMCA
16programming, regardless of their ability to pay; under his
17leadership, the organization grew steadily in membership,
18expanded to three locations, and achieved record levels of
19private donations to fund capital improvements by the time of
20his retirement in 2018; upon his retirement, the Edwardsville
21YMCA Board of Directors named the ESIC facility the "Niebur
22Center" in his honor; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur began his career with the City of
2Edwardsville as a teenager, doing lawn maintenance for the
3parks and recreation department; in 1985, he was elected to the
4city council, where he spent eight years as an alderman; in
51993, he began his first term as mayor of Edwardsville, a
6position he held for 20 years; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was active with multiple
8organizations, including the Edwardsville Rotary Club, the
9Anderson Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, the Greater
10Edwardsville Area Foundation, the First Cloverleaf Bank Board
11of Directors, and the Metro East Park and Recreation District;
12he was also a member of the Illinois Municipal League, where he
13served as president in 2002; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was the recipient of numerous
15community service awards and accolades, including the Jaycees
16Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the State of Illinois, the
17Rotary Club International Paul Harris Fellowship Award, the Boy
18Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award, the SIUE
19Religious Center Interfaith Award, and the Edwardsville Glen
20Carbon Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur loved last minute road trips with
22anyone that would ride along and most frequently visited Lake
23of the Ozarks in Missouri and Miramar Beach, Florida; he often

 

 

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1bragged about the peak of his golf career, winning the 1995
2Sunset Hills Member Guest Championship with his dear friend
3Gordon Broom; anyone that had the pleasure of being seated next
4to him at a social gathering was guaranteed to have an
5entertaining evening of laughter and story telling; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was preceded in death by his father,
7Melvin Niebur; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Gary Niebur is survived by his wife, Debra; his
9daughters, Ashley (Josh) Sharp, Amanda Niebur, and Abby Niebur;
10his son, Andrew Niebur; his grandchildren, Blair and Brady
11Sharp; his brother, Randy (Jo) Niebur; his sister, Jan (Mark)
12Muckensturm; his sister, Gail (Roy) Eagle; his brother, Mark
13Niebur; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family;
14therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
16ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
17Gary D. Niebur and extend our sincere condolences to his
18family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
19further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to the family of Gary Niebur as an expression of our
22deepest sympathy.