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SR0445 |
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LRB094 13668 HSS 48536 r |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois |
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| learned with regret of the death of William E. Wannemaker of |
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| Downers Grove on Thursday, July 7, 2005; and
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| WHEREAS, He was born and raised in Tinley Park and a was |
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| graduate of Thornton Community High School in Harvey; he |
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| enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces when he was 17 and trained |
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| to be a tail gunner for B-17 and B-29 bombers in World War II; |
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| the war ended prior to his being shipped overseas; and
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| WHEREAS, After his military discharge, Mr. Wannemaker |
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| returned to the Chicago area and worked with his father as a |
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| well digger; in 1947, he married his wife, Ruth, and they made |
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| their home in Tinley Park; he worked for his father-in-law at |
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| Gee Lumber, and in the early 1960s, he helped found the E.G. |
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| Home Center stores in Carol Stream and Downers Grove; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1967, he set out on his own by purchasing the |
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| Tollgate Nursery on Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove, which he |
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| renamed as Wannemaker's five years later; with the help of his |
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| two sons, he turned the business into a complete home center, |
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| selling lumber, hardware, plumbing, paint, and electrical |
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| products; and
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| WHEREAS, He had been a Downers Grove resident since 1971 |
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| and was a longtime member of the Rotary Club and Naperville |
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| Country Club; for many years, he served on the board of |
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| directors of the Downers Grove National Bank; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of William E. Wannemaker has been |
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| deeply felt by many, especially his wife, Ruth; his sons, Bob |
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| and James; his daughters, Lyn Konsoer and Kay Yeretsky; his |
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| sister, Bernetta Cristl; and his 11 grandchildren; therefore, |
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| be it
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