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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of former Illinois Supreme Court Justice
4 Howard C. Ryan of Peru, who passed away on December 10, 2008;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, Howard Ryan was born on June 17, 1916 in Tonica;
7 his parents were John F. and Sarah (Egger) Ryan; he married
8 Helen Cizek on October 16, 1943 in Chicago; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Howard Ryan was educated at Tonica Schools,
10 LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College, the University of
11 Illinois, and the University of Illinois College of Law; he was
12 admitted to the practice of law on April 14, 1942; and
 
13     WHEREAS, On May 5, 1943, Howard Ryan enlisted in the U.S.
14 Army, joining the U.S. Army Air Corps, 2nd Ferry Division Air
15 Transport Command, where he served as a radio operator for 43
16 months; and
 
17     WHEREAS, After his discharge from the Army, Howard Ryan
18 practiced law in Decatur for one and a half years and then
19 returned to LaSalle County, residing in Tonica and moving his
20 practice to Peru; he was appointed a part-time assistant
21 LaSalle County state's attorney in 1952 and was elected county

 

 

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1 judge in 1954; in 1957, he was elected circuit judge of the
2 13th Judicial Circuit, serving as chief judge from 1964 to
3 1968; he was elected to the 21-county 3rd District Appellate
4 Court in 1968 and, from that district, was elected to the
5 Supreme Court of Illinois in 1970; he served as chief justice
6 of the Supreme Court of Illinois from January of 1982 to
7 January of 1985; he retired in 1990 after serving 36 years as a
8 judge, including 20 years on the Illinois Supreme Court; and
 
9     WHEREAS, After his retirement, Justice Ryan served three
10 years as of counsel to the Chicago firm Peterson and Ross; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Justice Ryan was a member of various Masonic
12 bodies and was a 33rd degree Mason; he was also a member of the
13 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Tonica United Methodist
14 Church, the LaSalle County, Illinois State, and American Bar
15 Associations, the Illinois Judges Association, and the
16 American Legion; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Justice Ryan was preceded in death by his wife,
18 Helen; his son, John; and his two brothers and one sister; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Justice Ryan is survived by his son, Judge H.
20 Chris (Kala) Ryan Jr.; his daughter, Elizabeth (Bing)
21 Blumreich; his five grandchildren; his sister, Mary Ryan
22 Warrner; and his nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
2 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
3 his family and friends, the passing of Justice Howard C. Ryan;
4 and be it further
 
5     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6 presented to the family of Justice Howard Ryan as an expression
7 of our sympathy.