SR0702 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0702 LRB102 23918 MST 33116 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Robert A. "Bob" Shay of Rochester, formerly of Jacksonville, who passed away on January 4, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Bob Shay was born in Jacksonville to Leo Harvey and Doris Rolf Shay on October 28, 1949; he graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1967 and received a Bachelor of Arts from Illinois College in 1972 and a Master of Science from the University of Illinois Springfield in 1975; he married Pamela Elaine Selway in Jacksonville on May 21, 1972; and

WHEREAS, Bob Shay began a distinguished career in law enforcement with the City of Jacksonville Police Department and later joined the Crime Prevention Commission; he then served as the administrative assistant to the Springfield Chief of Police prior to joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1983; he served the FBI in various roles in numerous field offices, including Wilmington, North Carolina, Youngstown, Ohio, and Effingham and Champaign; he served several communities across Illinois, including as Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) with the Champaign Resident Agency focusing on Foreign Counter-Intelligence and International and Domestic Terrorism; in 2003, he was named the SSA of the newly created Joint Terrorism Task Force based in Springfield and later added collateral duty as a hostage negotiator; following his retirement from the FBI in 2006, he was named Marshal of the Illinois Supreme Court until his retirement in 2015; and

WHEREAS, Bob Shay was a dedicated member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Chatham, where he served in the past as Security Committee Chairman and as an Elder; he was the current Congregational President; in past years, he coached tee-ball, baseball, and soccer; he was an active member and a past president of the Jacksonville Jaycees; he enjoyed fishing and working on carpentry projects; he was a devoted husband, father, and father-in-law who was dedicated to his faith, his family, and his country; and

WHEREAS, Bob Shay was preceded in death by his parents; and

WHEREAS, Bob Shay is survived by his wife, Pamela; his children, Erik Robert (Emily) Shay and Sara Elizabeth (Giovanni) Randazzo; his grandchildren, Ethan and Eli Shay and Joseph and Michael Randazzo; his sister, Marian (Donald) Seymour; and several nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Robert A. "Bob" Shay and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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