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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Marian
4Sanfilippo, who passed away peacefully on December 3, 2023;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo was born in Chicago on March
725, 1935; she attended Providence High School in Chicago and
8received her bachelor's degree from DePaul University in 1956;
9she married the love of her life, Jasper B. Sanfilippo, at Our
10Lady of Mercy Church in Chicago on July 14, 1956; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo worked as a second grade
12schoolteacher; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo's family made their home in
14Barrington Hills; she raised her children and supported her
15husband's business endeavors as head of John B. Sanfilippo &
16Son, Incorporated; she also supported his passion for
17collecting automatic music machines and steam engines,
18eventually amassing a world-renowned private collection; her
19family began opening their home to local charity events in
201985, which featured concerts on their 1927 Wurlitzer Theater
21Organ with 2,400 pipes; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, By 1992, these charity events quickly outgrew the
2family's living room, and Marian Sanfilippo's family
3constructed a 325-seat theater addition to their home, the
4Place de la Musique, and expanded the Wurlitzer Organ to
5feature 8000 pipes, making it the largest theater pipe organ
6ever built and nearly a third larger than the organ at Radio
7City Music Hall in New York City; in addition, the estate
8houses the restored Eden Palais originally built in 1890, the
9most complete example of a European Salon Carousel in
10existence; the collection contributed to the preservation of
11hundreds of automatic musical instruments, phonographs,
12antique arcade and gambling machines, and many thousands of
13other mechanical inventions; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo was always a smiling presence
15at the front door, welcoming hundreds of guests at each event
16into the family's home for concerts on the theater organ and
17gala charity events; over the years, her family's efforts
18through the Sanfilippo Foundation have helped to raise well
19over 25 million dollars for local, regional, and national
20charities, benefiting children and families, health and human
21services, and arts and culture; she and Jasper attended nearly
22every event for years, often holding hands during the
23concerts; and
 
24    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo was a devout Catholic, and she

 

 

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1loved her parish, Saint Anne Catholic Community Church in
2Barrington; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo was always quick to share
4laughs and attention with everyone she met; she had a warm and
5giving personality and will be remembered with deep gratitude
6for the contributions that she made through her philanthropy
7and her love of family, friends, and community; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo was preceded in death by her
9beloved husband of 63 years, Jasper; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Marian Sanfilippo is survived by her children,
11John, Jim, Jeffrey, Lisa, and Jasper; 13 grandchildren; and
12two great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we mourn the passing of Marian Sanfilippo and extend our
16sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew
17and loved her; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of Marian Sanfilippo as an expression
20of our deepest sympathy.