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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Neal McGarry Bidwill of Broward County,
4 Florida, formerly of Chicago, who passed away on April 2, 2010;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, He was born in Chicago on May 23, 1930, and was
7 raised in the city's near west suburbs, graduating from Fenwick
8 High School; after attending Loyola University in Chicago, he
9 served in the United States Air Force; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Upon discharge from the military, he began
11 operating The Pacific Company, a construction business
12 originally formed by his great-grandfather in 1914; under his
13 stewardship, the business flourished; he operated the business
14 for almost sixty years up to the time of his death, providing
15 sidewalk, street, and electrical contracting services
16 throughout Chicago and Northern Illinois; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Having a talent for business and an
18 entrepreneurial spirit, he was involved in many business
19 pursuits throughout his life; among his many business
20 endeavors, he owned and operated an insurance company, a
21 carwash, a sports store, an RV dealership, a lakefront
22 restaurant in Wisconsin, a home building business, and a beach

 

 

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1 side motel; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, a
3 Chicago Alderman in the late 19th century, and his father, who
4 served 38 years in the Illinois Senate, including ten years as
5 President and majority leader, and having a passion for
6 politics and public service, Neal Bidwill served in public
7 office and participated in political affairs throughout much of
8 his life; and
 
9     WHEREAS, While living in Illinois, he was elected three
10 times to serve as a Village Trustee of the Town of River
11 Forest, serving from 1961-1967; during those years, he also
12 served as the elected Republican Committeeman from River
13 Forest; he ultimately was appointed to serve on the Cook County
14 Republican Executive Committee, and was instrumental in many
15 successful political campaigns, including those of his father;
16 and
 
17     WHEREAS, In 1963, he received a certificate of appreciation
18 from President Kennedy in "grateful recognition of valuable
19 service contributed to the nation and the Selective Service
20 System in the administration of the Universal Military Training
21 and Service Act"; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Upon moving to Broward County, Florida, in 1975,

 

 

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1 he continued his career of public service; in the late 1970s,
2 he served two terms as an elected councilman in Sea Ranch
3 Lakes, Florida; in 1980 he was elected to serve as Mayor of Sea
4 Ranch Lakes, and was re-elected in 1982 and 1984, serving a
5 total of three terms in that office; as the Mayor of Sea Ranch
6 Lakes he successfully improved municipal services, while
7 significantly cutting costs; he also successfully fought the
8 forced annexation of Sea Ranch Lakes into the City of Pompano
9 Beach; and
 
10     WHEREAS, While his own public service ended in the 1980s,
11 his passion for politics and public affairs continued to the
12 time of his death, and he lived to see his own son, Martin,
13 appointed, and then elected, as a Broward Circuit Court Judge,
14 and his son, Joseph, elected as a Village Trustee in Fontana,
15 Wisconsin; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Neal Bidwill was blessed with a large, loving,
17 Irish Catholic family and many close friends; he had a sharp,
18 but playful, wit even to the end of his life, and he always
19 enjoyed telling and re-telling a good story; he was an
20 accomplished musician, he enjoyed reading and boating, tennis,
21 golf, football, and horse racing, a cold beer, a friendly bet,
22 and, at one time, a good cigar; he touched many, many lives,
23 especially his family and close friends; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Neal Bidwill is survived by five children, Joseph
2 Bidwill, Martin Bidwill, Mary Maxfield, Jane Soto, Catherine
3 Stiffler, and their mother, Patricia; his daughters-in-law,
4 Karol Bidwill and Michelle Bidwill; his sons-in-law Alex Soto,
5 Eric Maxfield, and Daniel Stiffler; his fifteen grandchildren,
6 Kathleen (and her husband Joe Ortiz), Connor, Arthur, Kacie,
7 Veronica, Stephanie, Madeline, Amy, Sophia, Holden, Emma,
8 Joseph, Eliza, Patrick, and Jack; his great-grandson, Joseph;
9 his brother, Father Joseph Bidwill; his sister, Jane Maus and
10 her husband, Bill; his longtime, devoted companion, Diane
11 Whewell; and dozens of nieces, nephews, and cousins; therefore,
12 be it
 
13     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
14 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
15 his family and friends, the passing of Neal Bidwill; and be it
16 further
 
17     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to the family of Neal Bidwill as a symbol of our
19 sincere sympathy.