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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Bruce | ||||||
4 | Edward Saurs of East Peoria, who passed away on July 10, 2014; | ||||||
5 | and
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6 | WHEREAS, Bruce Saurs was born on July 9, 1926 in Peoria to | ||||||
7 | Edward and Gertrude Marie (nee Ambrose) Saurs; he graduated | ||||||
8 | from Peoria High School in 1944 and Bradley University in 1949, | ||||||
9 | where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity; he served in | ||||||
10 | the United States Army Air Forces from 1945 to 1946, stationed | ||||||
11 | in Wiesbaden, Germany; he also served in the Illinois Air | ||||||
12 | National Guard, 169th Fighter Squadron from 1951 to 1954; he | ||||||
13 | married Norma Bloom on October 17, 1952; after her passing he | ||||||
14 | married Mary Whitman on June 10, 1999; after her passing he | ||||||
15 | married Rebecca Williams on June 16, 2012; and
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16 | WHEREAS, While still a student at Bradley University, Bruce | ||||||
17 | Saurs coached Peoria's Lee Grade School to 4 city basketball | ||||||
18 | titles against much larger schools; in 1951, he helped | ||||||
19 | establish the first Little League Baseball program in Peoria, | ||||||
20 | and, in 1955, he acted as a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates | ||||||
21 | and was responsible for them signing Peoria's own Leon Hurst; | ||||||
22 | and
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1 | WHEREAS, For 6 years, starting in 1949, Bruce Saurs was a | ||||||
2 | teacher at Peoria High School, where he also was an assistant | ||||||
3 | basketball coach and head baseball coach; he entered the | ||||||
4 | automobile industry in 1956 as a salesman, and by 1961, had | ||||||
5 | worked his way up to general sales manager; in 1963, he went to | ||||||
6 | work for Lynn Velde and became a partner in Velde Ford in 1965; | ||||||
7 | they purchased Arnold Ford in Vero Beach, Florida in 1976; the | ||||||
8 | partners started Velde Lincoln Volvo of Peoria in 1984, which | ||||||
9 | was followed by Velde Cadillac Buick GMC in 1987; Bruce later | ||||||
10 | opened the Corner Store on Main Street and Bruce Saurs' Black | ||||||
11 | Rabbit bar, both in Downtown Peoria; and | ||||||
12 | WHEREAS, Bruce Saurs saved professional hockey in Peoria | ||||||
13 | not once but twice, starting in 1989 with his purchase of the | ||||||
14 | Rivermen from the city of Peoria; in 1996, he and a partner | ||||||
15 | started an International Hockey League (IHL) franchise in San | ||||||
16 | Antonio, Texas; both were manifestations of his lifelong love | ||||||
17 | of athletics; he owned 2 professional hockey teams in 4 | ||||||
18 | different leagues over 20 years; the Rivermen won the IHL's | ||||||
19 | Turner Cup in 1991, along the way setting a professional hockey | ||||||
20 | record with 18 consecutive wins; the Rivermen also earned an | ||||||
21 | East Coast Hockey League title in 2000; the Peoria Rivermen | ||||||
22 | player who exemplifies commitment and leadership both on and | ||||||
23 | off the ice now receives the Bruce E. Saurs Leadership Award, | ||||||
24 | and each Rivermen home opener is designated Bruce Saurs Hockey | ||||||
25 | Night; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Among his many honors, Bruce Saurs was a recipient | ||||||
2 | of the Neve Harms Meritorious Service to Sports Award and the | ||||||
3 | United Cerebral Palsy Community Service Award, and he was | ||||||
4 | inducted into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame in 1996; | ||||||
5 | he was a recipient of Bradley's Distinguished Alumnus Award and | ||||||
6 | was named to the university's elite Centurion Society; he | ||||||
7 | chaired the Salvation Army's Tree of Lights campaign, and he | ||||||
8 | was grand marshal of Peoria's 2013 Santa Claus Parade; he was | ||||||
9 | also a member of the Pekin and Mount Hawley country clubs and | ||||||
10 | the Country Club of Peoria; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Bruce Saurs was preceded in death by his first | ||||||
12 | wife, Norma, and by his second wife, Mary; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Bruce Saurs is survived by his wife, Rebecca; his | ||||||
14 | sons, Michael Saurs, Tim (Lori) Saurs, and Scott (Suzette) | ||||||
15 | Saurs; his grandchildren, Lynzie (Luke) Gruden, Stacie (Mike) | ||||||
16 | Swingle, and Ryan (fiancee, Tara Kulkarni) Saurs; his | ||||||
17 | great-grandchildren, Brady, Owen, and Gibby Gruden and Selah | ||||||
18 | and Maya Swingle; his 2 stepsons, Brian (Elizabeth) Morris and | ||||||
19 | Jason (Catherine) Morris; his step-grandchildren, Levi, | ||||||
20 | Adeline, and James Morris; and his beloved dog, Coco; | ||||||
21 | therefore, be it
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22 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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1 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
2 | we mourn the passing of Bruce Edward Saurs, and extend our | ||||||
3 | sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew | ||||||
4 | and loved him; and be it further
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5 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
6 | presented to the family of Bruce Saurs as an expression of our | ||||||
7 | deepest sympathy.
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