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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Charles E. Finn of Champaign, who passed
4away on December 8, 2018; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Charles Finn was born in Paxton to Earnest and
6Jessie Finn on June 10, 1933; he was raised and educated in
7Gibson City and graduated from Gibson City High School in 1951;
8he was a member of the National Honor Society and participated
9in football, basketball, track, and drama; he graduated from
10the University of Illinois in 1955 and was a member of the
11Sigma Pi fraternity; he was also the varsity football senior
12manager under coach Ray Elliott and a member of the Tribe of
13Illini and the Sachem Honor Society; he received the MaWanDa
14Honorary Activities Award, was one of the top 100 Senior Men,
15was the house treasurer of the Sigma Pi fraternity, and was a
16member of the Student Senate; while a senior at the University
17of Illinois, he married Blanche Marie Faikus and also served as
18the assistant secretary of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Charles Finn served in the United States Army
20Reserves as a captain in the ARMOR Division; he received a
21commendation medal in 1958; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Charles Finn joined the family business, Finn

 

 

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1Furniture, in Gibson City; he was then hired by Kroehler
2Furniture Company as a salesman and sales manager; he later
3went to work for the Alan White Corporation as the vice
4president of Midwest sales; he returned to Kroehler Furniture
5as the national account manager and corporate vice president
6and general manager of the southwest region of the United
7States; in 1982, he went to work at Flexsteel Industries as
8vice president and then as sales manager at Cleveland Chair
9Company; he finally started his own marketing company,
10Professional Furniture Marketing with Bob O'Meara and
11continued to direct sales and merchandising until he retired at
12the age of 75; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Charles Finn was a philanthropist and supporter of
14the University of Illinois; he donated to funds for
15scholarships for business majors at the College of Business and
16the Dike Eddleman Scholarship Fund and also for the indoor
17football practice field and the equipment room; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Charles Finn's University of Illinois alumni
19experiences included being a member of the President's Council
20U of I Foundation in 1989, a member of the Business Activity
21Council and Dean's Business Council from 1995 until 2011, and
22the College of Business chairman from 2003 until 2006; he was a
23supporter of the I Fund and a member of the Loyalty Circle for
24ten years; he received the William E. Winter Award from the U

 

 

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1of I Foundation for National Advocacy in 2002, the U of I
2Alumni Association Loyalty Service Award in 2004, and the
3Varsity I Man of the Year Award through the DIA in 2005; he
4received the College of Business Alumni Association
5Appreciation Award at the Spring Chicago Luncheon in 2013; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Charles Finn was a historian of "The Galloping
7Ghost" Red Grange's life story and commissioned a screenplay to
8promote the making of a feature film; in 2013, he wrote a play
9titled "Red Grange Comes to the Virginia Theater," which was
10produced and performed as a fundraiser to buy a new projector
11for the theater; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In recognition for his service to the Virginia
13Theater, Charles Finn was selected as honorary commissioner for
14the Champaign Park District in 2013; from 2006 until 2017, he
15served as chairman of the Finance Committee of Savoy United
16Methodist Church, and, during that time, the church paid off
17its mortgage; he was a member of the Champaign/Urbana Noon
18Kiwanis Club and served as president from 2017 until 2018; on
19December 7, 2018, he was presented the Kiwanian of the Year
20Award; he was a loving husband to his wife and a role model for
21his children; he taught them to live life to the fullest,
22follow their dreams, and to never give up; and
 
23    WHEREAS, Charles Finn is survived by his wife, Blanche; his

 

 

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1son, Steven Charles Finn; his daughter, Pamela Finn Trueblood;
2his ex-son-in-law, Steven David Trueblood; his grandson,
3Robert Steven Finn; his granddaughter, Jennifer Marie
4Trueblood; and his cousins, Maxine Stroh, Ray Stroh, and Anita
5Lahr; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
7ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
8Charles E. Finn and extend our sincere condolences to his
9family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
10further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the family of Charles Finn as an expression of our
13deepest sympathy.