SR0128 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0128 LRB094 11731 CSA 43679 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Herbert Emerson Funk, a longtime Aurora pharmacist and civic leader, passed away March 2, 2005; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Funk was born in Aurora on October 22, 1917; he was the eldest child of Margaret Grimm Funk and Herbert Emerson Funk, Sr.; the family's summers were spent at their summer home at Kelly Lake, Wisconsin, the site of many special memories; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from West Aurora High School in 1935, he and several Aurora friends went to Beloit College in Wisconsin, from which he graduated in 1939; he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and was a fraternity soloist at various college functions; while attending Beloit, he met classmate Elizabeth Standfuss and they were married in June 1942; he completed his second degree in Pharmacy at the University of Illinois in 1943, and was inducted with his entire class into the Army Medical Corps; he served in the States and then the European Theater until the end of World War II; and

WHEREAS, Following his discharge in 1944, he returned to Aurora and joined the family business, Grimm's Drug Store, which had been founded by his grandfather in 1899; he was joined at Grimm's by his brother Henry, and together they expanded the business to include several more drug stores in Aurora and one of the first Hallmark stores, called Crown 'n' Quill, in the Midwest; Grimm's celebrated its 100th anniversary before it closed in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Mr. Funk was active in the community; he was a member of Kiwanis and the Union League and served as President of the Board of New England Congregational Church, where his grandparents were among the original founders; he also served on the Boards of Merchants Bank and Plum Landing Retirement Community; during the 1960s, he was actively involved as a member and later president of Project 330, a civic group dedicated to the economic revitalization of the Aurora area; the group's efforts were instrumental in the development of Fox Valley Shopping Center; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Funk retired from Grimm's in 1979, and he and his wife spent the next ten years traveling throughout the world; they both were certified scuba divers and took several trips to the Caribbean to pursue their favorite sport; he was also a skilled craftsman who particularly enjoyed woodworking and jewelry design; and

WHEREAS, Elizabeth Funk died in 1991; in 1998, he married Sally Clay, whose enduring love was a source of strength and support; Eugenia Kwiecinska, his devoted nurse, provided the special care that made it possible for him to live his final years at home; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Herbert Emerson Funk is felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his wife, Sally; his children, Linna Place (Craig) and Dr. James Funk (Diane); his stepdaughters, Stephanie Clay-Jones (Robert), Jennifer Clay-Benson (Adam), and Janice Swick; his ten grandchildren; his brother, Henry; his sister, Dorothy White (Robert); and his sister-in-law, Barbara Hester (Robert); therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Herbert Emerson Funk and extend our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to his family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.