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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of | ||||||
| 4 | Frederick J. "Fred" Steffen of Elgin, who passed away on | ||||||
| 5 | December 25, 2021; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Fred Steffen was born to Rose and Ezra Steffen in | ||||||
| 7 | Elgin on August 18, 1934; he graduated from Elgin High School | ||||||
| 8 | in 1952, where he was a state championship wrestler and | ||||||
| 9 | homecoming king; he graduated from the University of Illinois | ||||||
| 10 | at Urbana-Champaign and John Marshall Law School; he served in | ||||||
| 11 | the U.S. Army Infantry in South Korea for two years; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Fred Steffen served as an appointed attorney for | ||||||
| 13 | the Elgin Housing Authority after being sworn in before the | ||||||
| 14 | U.S. Supreme Court; he provided pro bono services for local | ||||||
| 15 | churches and social service organizations; with his wife, | ||||||
| 16 | Judy, he opened and managed the Italian restaurant Cafe | ||||||
| 17 | Magdalena on Douglas Avenue from 1999 to 2007; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Fred Steffen touched the lives of many people | ||||||
| 19 | with his legal work and involvement in the Elgin community; | ||||||
| 20 | his steadfast commitment to public service showed in his early | ||||||
| 21 | advocacy for racial integration, his organization of the | ||||||
| 22 | area's first Hike for Hunger, and his successful efforts to | ||||||
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| 1 | arrange for the First Congregational Church of Elgin to | ||||||
| 2 | celebrate their 150th anniversary by investing in the | ||||||
| 3 | expansion of the Elgin Community Crisis Center; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Fred Steffen served as a delegate to the 1970 | ||||||
| 5 | Illinois Constitution Convention and a Carter delegate at the | ||||||
| 6 | 1976 Democratic National Convention; he campaigned for U.S. | ||||||
| 7 | Congress in 1978; he was elected to the Elgin Community | ||||||
| 8 | College Board of Trustees for a six-year term and served as | ||||||
| 9 | Kane County Democratic Chairman for 18 years; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Fred Steffen sang as a tenor in both the First | ||||||
| 11 | Congregational Church Choir and the Elgin Choral Union; he | ||||||
| 12 | loved traveling, visiting every continent except for Africa | ||||||
| 13 | and Antarctica; he was an avid nature lover who always took the | ||||||
| 14 | time to learn the names of all the birds and plants around him; | ||||||
| 15 | and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, Fred Steffen was a beloved mentor to many; he | ||||||
| 17 | will be remembered for being perpetually enthusiastic and | ||||||
| 18 | upbeat; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Fred Steffen was preceded in death by his wife, | ||||||
| 20 | Judy Steffen, and his siblings, Anne Carroll, Barbara Phelps, | ||||||
| 21 | and Garth Steffen; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Frederick Steffen is survived by his children, | ||||||
| 2 | Julie (Detlev Pansch), John (Kerry Kelly), and Bob (Ketki | ||||||
| 3 | Shroff); his grandchildren, Joan, Chloe, Lili, Abby, Nika, | ||||||
| 4 | Alyssa, Liam, and Tristan; his siblings, Nate Steffen, Grant | ||||||
| 5 | Steffen, Lorna Schrock, and Ellie Hanchett; and his beloved | ||||||
| 6 | dog, Willow; therefore, be it
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| 7 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 8 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 9 | we mourn the passing of
Frederick J. "Fred" Steffen and extend | ||||||
| 10 | our sincere
condolences to his family, friends, and all who | ||||||
| 11 | knew and loved
him; and be it further
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| 12 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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| 13 | presented to the family of Fred Steffen as an expression of
our | ||||||
| 14 | deepest sympathy.
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