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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Claude
4 Douthit Smith of Antioch, formerly of Ingleside, who passed
5 away on June 4, 2010; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Claude Douthit Smith was born in Hartman, Arkansas
7 on August 28, 1925 to Elizabeth and Claude V. Smith; he was a
8 member of the United States Army Air Corp in World War II,
9 where he was a mechanic on fighters and bombers in the Pacific;
10 after returning to the Chicago area, he married Gloria Ann
11 Kaczmaryk on January 22, 1949; and
 
12     WHEREAS, He and his wife made their home in Des Plaines
13 until moving to Antioch in 1977; he started Nu-Way Speaker
14 Products in 1956 in the garage, while working and raising his
15 family, a business he later ran with his sons; he made time to
16 coach his sons in Little League and enjoyed bowling with his
17 friends; they spent the winters in Largo, Florida with their
18 group of dear friends from the Chicagoland area; he later
19 started to travel to Hayward, Wisconsin for fishing, relaxing,
20 and the lure of the casino; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Claude Smith enjoyed the simple things in life,
22 like the peacefulness of fishing; he liked to fish and enjoyed

 

 

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1 trips to Canada and Hayward, Wisconsin, as well as fishing on
2 Pistakee Lake; he also liked to go deep sea fishing in the Gulf
3 of Mexico; and
 
4     WHEREAS, He loved to play cards, a passion he displayed
5 daily, whether it was playing with family at home or going out
6 with friends to play; he was also an avid hunter, and enjoyed
7 going duck hunting, and was honored to have hunted with Walter
8 Payton; and
 
9     WHEREAS, He was a Chicago sports fan and loved to sit and
10 watch the White Sox and Cubs, as well as just spending time
11 with family and friends; he was a member of the Antioch Moose,
12 and the VFW in Largo, Florida; he was also a generous supporter
13 of Ducks Unlimited and an honorary member of the Antioch Rescue
14 Squad; and
 
15     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his son, Kenneth; his
16 wife, Gloria; his brothers Michael, Mitchell, and Waldo; and
17 his sister, Wanda; and
 
18     WHEREAS, He leaves behind many friends, especially his
19 "partner in crime," Bill Klatt; his fishing buddy, Dick
20 Grutzmacher; his sons, Mike (Ann), Dennis (Brandie), Jim
21 (Sandy), and Pat (Dawne); his grandchildren, Brian, Dave
22 (Carole), Steve, Lisa, Alyson, Jaime, Ashley, and Corey; his

 

 

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1 great-grandchildren, Hunter and Lauren; and his many nieces,
2 nephews, and friends; therefore, be it
 
3     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
5 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Claude
6 Smith; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8 presented to the family of Claude Smith as a symbol of our
9 sincere sympathy.