SR0304 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Royal Walter Lauing of Naperville, who passed away on June 28, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Royal Walter Lauing was born on November 18, 1921 in Blunt, South Dakota; his parents were Walter and Victoria Lauing; and

WHEREAS, Royal Walter Lauing and his family moved to Belmont when he was five years old; there he attended Puffer Elementary, then graduated from Downers North High School in 1941; he enlisted in the United States Army immediately after graduation, serving in General George Patton's 6th Armored Division, 3rd Army, 25th Engineers Battalion in Europe during the Second World War; his "Super Sixers" unit saw combat in The Battle of the Bulge and participated in the liberation of Buchenwald; after the war he made three pilgrimages to the Patton Museum in the Mohave Desert in California and rode to Washington, D.C. on The Journey to Honor trip to witness the dedication of the WWII Memorial; and

WHEREAS, After the Second World War, Royal Walter Lauing worked as a mechanic for his uncle at the Burgess Motor Garage on Washington Street in downtown Naperville, where he met his future wife Marcianna Miller, who would come in to fuel her car; they were married in 1946 and built a home that Royal lived in for 61 years and where he raised his children; he also worked for his father and learned the bricklayer trade; he started his own sub-contractor business, Royal Lauing Masonry, in the late 1950's; he worked as a builder for 60 years as one of the longest standing members of the Bricklayers and Allied Crafts Workers Local 74; his last major project before retirement was to complete the 16 stone piers of Grand Pavillion of the Naperville Riverwalk and the keystone piers to the west branch promenade; and

WHEREAS, Royal Walter Lauing was an active member of VFW Post 3879; he volunteered monthly at Hines Veteran's Hospital in the spinal cord ward; he was a volunteer WWII living history speaker with Naperville School District 203's HURRAH (Happy Upbeat Recycled Retirees Actively Helping) Program for 18 years; he had taken basic PC computer training at Naperville North High School in 2005, where he proved that "old dogs can learn new tricks"; he was also a member of the Naperville American Legion and took great joy in riding in Memorial Day parades in antique vehicles; he was also a member of the Naperville Heritage Society; and

WHEREAS, Royal Walter Lauing is survived by his children, Daniel and Carolyn (Mel) Finzer; his granddaughters, Nicole and Deirdre Finzer; his brother, Donald Lauing; and his sisters, Shirley Phelps and Barbara Kleb; and

WHEREAS, Royal Walter Lauing will be remembered by all who knew and loved him as an honest, generous businessman with a strong work ethic; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Royal Walter Lauing; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Royal Walter Lauing as an expression of our sympathy.