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| | SR0459 | | LRB103 34206 LAW 64029 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened |
| 3 | | to learn of the death of William Joseph "Bill" Christiansen of |
| 4 | | Des Plaines, who passed away on August 23, 2023; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Bill Christiansen was born to Christ G. |
| 6 | | Christiansen and Kathleen (O'Rourke) Christiansen on December |
| 7 | | 26, 1946; he was a lifelong Des Plaines resident; he served in |
| 8 | | the U.S. Army in Vietnam and earned numerous awards, including |
| 9 | | the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star as a |
| 10 | | long-range reconnaissance patrolman (LRRP)/ranger; and
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| 11 | | WHEREAS, Bill Christiansen worked as a dockman for K&R |
| 12 | | Delivery; in retirement, he enjoyed fishing and started a |
| 13 | | second career at Rolling Meadows High School, where he worked |
| 14 | | as an instructional assistant in the Special Education |
| 15 | | Department and as a coach for the girls' bowling team and boys' |
| 16 | | water polo team; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, Bill Christiansen found joy in sharing his |
| 18 | | wartime experiences, serving as a guest speaker in high school |
| 19 | | classrooms and as president of his local Vietnam Veterans of |
| 20 | | America (VVA) chapter; most recently, he authored a book about |
| 21 | | his time in Vietnam; and
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| | SR0459 | - 2 - | LRB103 34206 LAW 64029 r |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Bill Christiansen will be remembered as a loving |
| 2 | | husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, |
| 3 | | and fisherman; and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, Bill Christiansen was preceded in death by his |
| 5 | | parents and his sister, Mary Ann Walker; and
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| 6 | | WHEREAS, Bill Christiansen is survived by his wife of 55 |
| 7 | | years, Connie (Gilmore); his daughters, Annie (Steve) Grosz, |
| 8 | | Sara (Dan) Knigge, Leah Dillow, and Becky (Brent) Offill; his |
| 9 | | grandchildren, Charlie, Mikaela, Jack, Julia, Evan, Matthew, |
| 10 | | Thomas, Tessa, and Joe; his siblings, Bob (Judy) Christiansen, |
| 11 | | Kathy (Izzy) Sierra, Tom (Jan) Christiansen, and Kevin (Irene) |
| 12 | | Christiansen; and countless nieces and nephews; therefore, be |
| 13 | | it
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| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL |
| 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 16 | | William Joseph "Bill" Christiansen and extend our sincere |
| 17 | | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved |
| 18 | | him; and be it further
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| 19 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 20 | | presented to the family of Bill Christiansen as an expression |
| 21 | | of our deepest sympathy.
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