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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of James E.
4Keefe, who passed away on November 21, 2017; and
 
5    WHEREAS, James Keefe was born in Chicago to James H. and
6Florence M. (Cooney) Keefe on January 13, 1932; he moved to
7Woodstock in 1938 and attended St. Mary's School through the
89th grade; he then attended St. Mary's Seminary School, where
9he had planned to become a priest; and
 
10    WHEREAS, James Keefe attended college at St. Ambrose
11University in Davenport, Iowa until he was drafted during his
12sophomore year; he served his country with distinction in the
13U.S. Army as a military policeman during the Korean War; he
14returned to college after being discharged and graduated from
15St. Ambrose in 1957; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Two weeks after graduating from college, James
17Keefe married the love of his life, Mary Ellen Burmeister, at
18St. Mary Catholic Church in Woodstock; together they were
19parents to Kelly, Erin, Patrick, and Quinn and grandparents to
20several grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and
 
21    WHEREAS, James Keefe worked as an insurance agent for more

 

 

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1than 43 years, with 38 years as an agent for Country Companies;
2and
 
3    WHEREAS, During his entire adult life, James Keefe was an
4active member of St. Mary Parish and served as a Knight of the
5Roman Catholic Order of the Holy Sepulchre; and
 
6    WHEREAS, James Keefe was a charter member of the Woodstock
7Rotary Club and served as the club's vice president when the
8club was founded in 1968; he later served as president and in
9many other roles; he and his wife hosted numerous Rotary
10Exchange students from all parts of the world throughout the
11years; and
 
12    WHEREAS, As a Rotarian, James Keefe recorded over 49 years
13of perfect attendance at Rotary meetings, even seeking out
14meetings when traveling out of town; he was named a "Paul
15Harris" fellow through Rotary; and
 
16    WHEREAS, James Keefe was a longtime member of the McHenry
17County Civil War Roundtable, where he served as treasurer; he
18was a past member of the Woodstock Jaycees, the Lions Club, and
19the Elks Club; and
 
20    WHEREAS, James Keefe was elected to the Woodstock City
21Council in 1969 and served two full terms; he also served on

 

 

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1the Police and Fire Commission, the Woodstock Library Board,
2and the Memorial Hospital Board; and
 
3    WHEREAS, In 2002, James Keefe received the Woodstock
4Chamber of Commerce Buschkopf Award for Community Service; and
 
5    WHEREAS, James Keefe had a deep love of history and became
6known for his "History of Woodstock" slide presentations which
7he gave to many groups over the years; and
 
8    WHEREAS, James Keefe was a talented photographer and loved
9to travel and document his trips through pictures; he traveled
10the world with his wife Mary Ellen before her death, never
11missing Mass or Rotary Meetings wherever their travels took
12them; and
 
13    WHEREAS, James Keefe is survived by his children, Kelly
14(Mark) Afeld, Erin (Steve Walters) Anderegg, Patrick
15(Katherine) Keefe, and Quinn Keefe; his grandchildren, Kendra,
16Trevor, Greta, Lauren, Bridget, Hanna, Joseph, Hailey, and
17Katelyn; and his great-grandchild, Ella; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
19HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
20mourn the passing of James Keefe, and extend our sincere
21condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved

 

 

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1him; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the family of James Keefe as an expression of our
4deepest sympathy.