HR0921 LRB096 20750 KXB 36496 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Raymond
4 Joseph Klees, who recently passed away; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Raymond Joseph Klees was born in the Chicago
6 neighborhood of Roseland on December 24, 1921; he was the
7 beloved husband of the late Celeste R., nee Dunning; they were
8 married on May 4, 1946 and were uniquely devoted to each other
9 for 60 years; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Raymond Klees was a graduate of Pullman Tech High
11 School in 1939; he attended night classes at Loyola University
12 and worked full-time at Illinois Bell Telephone Company; he and
13 his wife, Celeste, met at Illinois Bell; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Shortly after Pearl Harbor, he passed a college
15 equivalency exam with the United States Army Air Corps and was
16 accepted into flight school; he was awarded Pilot Wings and
17 commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in early 1943; he and his crew
18 of 9 flew their B-17, "Charron's Ferry" in 25 combat missions
19 over North Africa, France, and Germany (8th Air Force, 96th
20 Bomb Group, Snetterdon Heath, East Anglia, England); he was
21 awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 5
22 Oak Leaf Clusters; and
 

 

 

HR0921 - 2 - LRB096 20750 KXB 36496 r

1     WHEREAS, He stayed with Illinois Bell for his working
2 career and retired as a District Level Manager; he volunteered
3 in several civic services over the years, including being a
4 commissioner on the Orland Park Police Board; he similarly
5 engaged multiple ministries in church service; he enjoyed
6 swimming, golf, and good friends; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Raymond Joseph Klees was the loving father of
8 Reverend Raymond F. Klees, Robert C., Caryl C. (Stephen)
9 Whitney, and Janet M. (Michael) Brennan; the cherished
10 grandfather of Lauren (Joseph) Jacob, Sarah (Griffin) Keenan,
11 Meredith (fiancé, Peter Carey) Whitney, and Matthew, Ryan, and
12 Michael Brennan; the devoted son of the late Jacob and Mary,
13 nee Brickel, Klees; the fond brother of Marion (John)
14 Beerepoot, Adelaide (the late Bernard) Beemsterboer, and the
15 late Robert; therefore, be it
 
16     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
18 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
19 Raymond Joseph Klees; and be it further
 
20     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21 presented to the family of Raymond Joseph Klees as a symbol of
22 our sincere sympathy.