SR0370LRB102 18856 LAW 27575 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Mario John Sebastiani of Kankakee, who
4passed away on June 7, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani was born to Eugene and Carlotta
6(Lenci) Sebastiani on February 25, 1928; he served in the U.S.
7Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Tokyo, Japan,
8where he printed maps that showed battle lines and troop
9placements for the field command after he received aerial
10photos of the battle front; his military service ended in
111954; he married Betty Bright on June 26, 1954; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani first served as a paper boy for
13the Kankakee Republican, the precursor of The Daily Journal;
14he officially began employment with the newspaper at the age
15of 16, which marked the beginning of his 65-year career; his
16first responsibilities were the pressroom jobs no one else
17wanted to do, including wiping down the presses; he started
18working in circulation when his older brother, Louie, was
19inducted into the U.S. Navy during World War II; he returned to
20the pressroom when Louie returned home and became a pressman
21soon thereafter; he was named pressroom superintendent as
22improvements began to influence the printing of newspapers,
23new offset presses were acquired, and The Daily Journal became

 

 

SR0370- 2 -LRB102 18856 LAW 27575 r

1a print site for USA Today for the Chicago area; under his
2supervision, The Daily Journal won many prestigious awards for
3printing quality, including several from USA Today; he last
4served as general manager, where he was instrumental in the
5day-to-day operation of the paper; he was respected and
6admired, and his reputation and his relationship with his
7peers reflected that respect and admiration; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani enjoyed watching things grow,
9especially his garden and fruit trees; he picked and delivered
10vegetables and fruit to his friends, family, coworkers, and
11acquaintances every summer; he enjoyed spending time in his
12own backyard and, in recent years, his living room chair,
13where he could watch his plantings grow with one eye and the
14stock market with the other; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani was a devoted husband, father,
16grandfather, and great-grandfather; he was a great man with a
17great heart; he will be missed; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani was preceded in death by his
19wife of 67 years, Betty (Bright) Sebastiani; his parents; his
20brother, Louie Sebastiani; his brother-in-law, Joseph Bright;
21and his sister-in-law, Elsie Menard; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani is survived by his daughters,

 

 

SR0370- 3 -LRB102 18856 LAW 27575 r

1Gina (Michael) Pullen and Linda (Jim) Scanlon; his
2grandchildren, Mary (Mitch) Holmgren, Melissa (Peter) Chung,
3Brad Johnson, Stephanie (Mark) Alessi, and Sarah (Kelly)
4Krippel; his step-grandchildren, Jenna Kostelicz and Jamie
5Panici and their families; his great-grandchildren, Brady
6Chung, Ella Chung, Evan Alessi, Leah Alessi, and Kyle
7Holmgren; his sisters-in-law, Dorothy Bright and Elinor
8Bright; and his caregiver, D'Angelo Hunter; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
11Mario John Sebastiani and extend our sincere condolences to
12his family, 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 Mario Sebastiani as an expression
16of our deepest sympathy.