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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Robert M. Coombs of Winfield, who passed
4 away on September 21, 2006; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Robert M. Coombs was born September 30, 1919, in
6 Belleville, Kansas; he was a scholar and athlete in high
7 school, earning a football scholarship to Washburn University
8 in Kansas, where he played defensive tackle; he met and later
9 married Margaret Wolter at St. Augustine's Catholic Church in
10 Chicago in 1942; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs was elected as an alderman of the
12 Batavia City Council in 1952, serving for several years; he was
13 a member of the Fraternal Order of the Moose, Batavia Chapter,
14 and held every office, including Governor; he also played Santa
15 Claus at Mooseheart, "The Child City," a home for orphans,
16 where he appeared every Christmas for 32 years; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The family moved to Winfield in 1956, where Mr.
18 Coombs enjoyed serving at annual pancake breakfasts and
19 spaghetti dinners at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church; he
20 and his wife Margaret were also church leaders for the
21 Christian Family Movement and were instrumental in
22 establishing Winfield's first public library; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs was appointed chairman of the Zoning
2 Board of Appeals and was later elected Mayor of Winfield for
3 two consecutive terms; he was asked a second time to chair the
4 Zoning Board of Appeals following his years as the village's
5 mayor; in 1988, he and Margaret were selected as Grand Marshals
6 in the parade for Winfield's Centennial Good Ole Days
7 celebration; and
 
8     WHEREAS, In 1981, following the murder of their youngest
9 son, Christopher, Mr. Coombs and his wife initiated the First
10 Illinois Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC), so
11 that other families in Illinois would have somewhere to turn;
12 they were appointed to Illinois Attorney General Neil F.
13 Hartigan's Task Force on Victims of Crime and played an
14 important role in the passage of the first Illinois bill for
15 victims' rights; they also received an award from Chicago Mayor
16 Richard M. Daley for their work for victims of crime, and were
17 the first recipients of the Lisa M. Hullinger Award from the
18 National POMC Chapter for their efforts on behalf of families;
19 and
 
20     WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs spent his professional career as an
21 executive in the transportation industry, specializing in
22 labor relations; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs was preceded in death by his wife,
2 Margaret, youngest son, Christopher, and an older brother,
3 Ralph; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Robert M. Coombs is survived by his daughters,
5 Carolyn (Ed) Wines and MaryEllen Coombs; his sons, Robert
6 Coombs, and Ralph (Kathryn) Coombs; his grandchildren,
7 Christine (Christopher) Bourseau, Patricia (James) Bockeloh,
8 Matthew (Jennifer) Wines, Christopher (Jennifer) Coombs,
9 Christy Coombs, and Sarah Coombs; his great-grandchildren,
10 Jason, Brandon and Chelsea Jung, Kolten and Brayden Wines,
11 Jamisyn Bockeloh, and Piper and Autumn Bourseau; and his
12 sister, Betty (Lyle) Siple; therefore, be it
 
13     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
14 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
15 his family and friends, the passing of Robert M. Coombs; and be
16 it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to the family of Robert M. Coombs as a symbol of our
19 sympathy.