HR0979 LRB094 19788 RAS 56571 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives
3 learned with regret of the death of Donald F. Krahn of Mendota
4 on Friday, February 3, 2006; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Mr. Krahn was born on September 26,1932 in Aurora
6 to Emil and Laura (Hauser) Krahn; he was a graduate of Warsaw,
7 Missouri High School; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Mr. Krahn served with the 44th Infantry Division
9 National Guard during the Korean conflict, and he was a cook in
10 Germany with the 407th Engineering Battalion; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Mr. Krahn was employed as a Tool Designer at
12 Caterpillar's Oswego Township plant; and
 
13     WHEREAS, In 1958, Mr. Krahn married Ann Combs; in 1964, the
14 couple purchased the Oswego Ledger, a weekly newspaper, where
15 he served as publisher and advertising manager for the paper;
16 and
 
17 WHEREAS, The Krahns' 12-year tenure as owners of the Oswego
18 Ledger was a period of growth and innovation for the newspaper;
19 they established an office, changed the paper's format and
20 circulation type, and began assigning reporters to provide
21 regular news coverage of local governmental meetings, which put
22 the newspaper in direct competition with daily newspapers for
23 local news coverage; and
 
24 WHEREAS, In 1973, the newspaper's office was destroyed by a
25 fire; even though the fire struck on a Monday, the Krahns and
26 their staff still managed to publish the next edition of the
27 paper as scheduled on the following Thursday; they later built
28 a multi-tenant office building that housed the Ledger, a
29 printing service, The Silent Secretary, and an office supply

 

 

HR0979 - 2 - LRB094 19788 RAS 56571 r

1 store, The Paper Crate, which were also owned by the Krahns;
2 and
 
3     WHEREAS, Traveling, woodworking, and flying were among Mr.
4 Krahn's favorite pastimes; he built one plane and rebuilt a
5 second after earning his pilot's license in 1972; and
 
6     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents and his
7 brother, Paul; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The passing of Donald F. Krahn has been deeply
9 felt by many, especially his wife; his sons, David (Peggy) and
10 Jeffrey (Janet); his daughter, Susan (Ron) Austin; his
11 granddaughters, Lisa (John) Eldredge, Heather (Andy) Pipitone,
12 Amy Krahn, and Brittany and Tiffany Austin; his
13 great-grandchildren, Mandi, Katie and Emma Eldredge, and
14 James, Vincent, Gianna, and Mia Pipitone; his sisters, Esther
15 (Kyle) Hammer, Lois (Jim) Rogers, Ruth Hoffman, and Mildred
16 Burkhart; and his eighteen nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19 we mourn the passing of Donald F. Krahn, and we extend our
20 sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
21 and loved him; and be it further
 
22     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
23 presented to his family as an expression of our deepest
24 sympathy for their loss.