SR1361LRB101 21891 LAW 72853 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of John Matthew Sant of Danville, who passed
4away on July 20, 2020; and
 
5    WHEREAS, John Sant was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to
6Martin Francis Sant and Ida Louise Shourek on February 8, 1923;
7he graduated from Westinghouse High School; he served in the
8U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, where he was a B-17
9pilot in the 15th Air Corps in Foggia, Italy; he was assigned
10to the 5th Bomb Wing, 463rd Bomb Group, 774th Bomb Squad;
11during that time, he flew 32 missions and was shot down twice;
12he was captured by the Nazis and spent 10 months in the POW
13camp Stalag Luft 1 near Barth, Germany; after the war, he
14studied mechanical engineering at Carnegie Institute of
15Technology, now Carnegie-Mellon University, where he was a
16member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and graduated in 1948; he
17married Wanda Jean Schaeffer on May 21, 1949, and she preceded
18him in death on July 8, 1998; and
 
19    WHEREAS, John Sant began his career in machinery
20manufacturing at Federal Machine and Welding in Warren, Ohio
21and stayed with the company in its many forms; moving to
22Danville in 1976, he went to work with Berkley-Davis as the
23vice president of engineering; he retired as general manager of

 

 

SR1361- 2 -LRB101 21891 LAW 72853 r

1Berkley-Davis in Danville in 1988; he was honored with the
2Resistance Welders of America Lifetime Achievement Award in
32002; and
 
4    WHEREAS, John Sant was actively involved in many
5professional, charitable, and civic organizations; he was a
6member of First Presbyterian Church and served as clerk of
7session in both Warren, Ohio and in Danville; he also served as
8the ushering team captain into his early 90s; he was the
9president of the Danville Engineering Club and a lifetime
10member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; he was
11a 70-year member of St. John's Trinity Masonic Lodge in
12Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; he was a 75-year member of American
13Legion Post 351 in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania; he was a 32-year
14member of the Danville Elks; he was also a longtime member of
15the Danville Country Club and a former member of the Danville
16Boat Club; he served as president of CRIS Senior Services Board
17and president of the Piankeshaw Boy Scout Council, where he was
18presented the prestigious Silver Beaver Award in 1975; he also
19served as commander of the Illiana Ex-POW Chapter; he was a
20lifetime member of the Vermilion County War Museum; he
21volunteered in the AARP's Tax Aid Program for 20 years; he was
22very active in Golden Kiwanis and served as a past president
23and treasurer; he received the Kiwanis Distinguished Service
24Award and the George F. Hixon Award in 2000; and
 

 

 

SR1361- 3 -LRB101 21891 LAW 72853 r

1    WHEREAS, John Sant was preceded in death by his parents;
2his wife; his brother, Martin Francis Sant Jr.; and his sister,
3Martha Anne Sant Martinez; and
 
4    WHEREAS, John Sant is survived by his children, Mary Sant
5(Ken) Skinner, John Matthew (Maura) Sant Jr., and Edward
6Schaeffer Sant; his grandchildren, Charles B. (Kristy) Cain and
7Aaron John (Brittany) Cain; and his great-granddaughters,
8Lauren Cain, Sarah Cain, and Lydia Cain; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
11John Matthew Sant and extend our sincere condolences to his
12family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the family of John Sant as an expression of our
16deepest sympathy.