SR0763 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0763 LRB102 21094 MST 30065 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Loretta Edwards Troyer of Oak Park, who passed away on July 14, 2021 at the age of 85; and

WHEREAS, Loretta Troyer was born the eldest of four siblings in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on November 13, 1935 to Raymond Edwards, and Lee (Lina) Feindert; and

WHEREAS, Loretta Troyer excelled in school and graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1954 with a scholarship to study nursing at Pennsylvania College for Women (Chatham University) in Pittsburgh; and

WHEREAS, In college, Loretta Troyer met her future husband, William G. "Bill" Troyer Jr., a third-year University of Pittsburgh medical student; they were married in 1959 in the Unitarian Church and began their life together in Pittsburgh as she started her career in nursing at Allegheny General Hospital; and

WHEREAS, Loretta and Bill Troyer moved several times during the early years of their marriage due to the demands of their budding medical careers; together, they worked in Oklahoma City, Durham, North Carolina, and Delphi, Maryland, where her husband served at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital; and

WHEREAS, In Adelphi, Maryland, Loretta Troyer was accepted to Catholic University's master's in nursing program; after giving birth to her daughter, Judy, in 1969, she took a year off school, and she and her family moved to Madison, Wisconsin and then moved back to Washington D.C. to finish the last year of her master's program; and

WHEREAS, Upon moving to Madison, Loretta Troyer worked at University of Wisconsin's Nursing and Rehabilitation teaching hospital; and

WHEREAS, In the summer of 1974, Loretta Troyer and her family moved to Oak Park, which became their permanent home; she continued her medical career at the University of Illinois School of Nursing; once her children became older, she joined the Oak Park Health Department as an inspector and was known for holding restaurant owners to high public health standards; and

WHEREAS, Loretta and Bill Troyer were deeply involved in charitable endeavors and dedicated themselves to mental health causes; together, they participated in multiple fundraisers for Thresholds, an organization working to transform the lives of those with mental illness and substance use disorders; and

WHEREAS, Loretta Troyer was also an active participant with the University of Illinois academic exchange programs; she and her husband hosted faculty visiting from around the world and traveled to various destinations including Egypt, China, Hong Kong, and Tibet; later in life, she would enjoy visits with her grandchildren from California and River Forest; and

WHEREAS, Loretta Troyer was a dedicated mother, caregiver, friend, and traveler known for her steadfast work ethic and compassion for those in need; and

WHEREAS, Loretta Troyer was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Howard Edwards; and

WHEREAS, Loretta Troyer is survived by her sister, Alberta King; her brother, Robert Edwards; her children, William G. "Bill" Troyer III, Steve Troyer (Presley Stokes), and Judy (Richard) Deogracias; her grandchildren, Wade Troyer, Amelia Troyer, George Troyer, and Raymond and Lourdes Deogracias; and her great-granddaughter, Seraphina Loretta O'Leary, who arrived three days after her passing; 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 Loretta Edwards Troyer 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 Loretta Troyer as an expression of our deepest sympathy.