SR0586 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0586 LRB095 20397 GRL 47913 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Catalina Garcia of Cicero, who passed away on February 14, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia was born on January 15, 1988 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago; her parents were Jacinto and Consuelo Garcia; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia was raised in Cicero with her three siblings, Myra, Jaime, and Joel; as a child, she held the innate ability to lift the spirits of all those around her with her warm, caring, and friendly personality, a trait she carried with her all of her life; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia's good humor, outgoing personality, lively imagination, and mellowed enthusiasm for life led to having a very active childhood, taking part in volleyball, dancing, and listening to music; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia graduated from J. Sterling Morton East High School in 2006; she was well known in her school as the class "cut-up", who enjoyed making others laugh; she received many Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, and Student of the Month awards in honor of her school conduct; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia attended college at Northern Illinois University, where she was viewed by many of her classmates as being a creative, artistic, and jovial person who loved to share her passion for fun with others; her favorite course was English; her main interests were to enroll in the College of Education and to begin a new position as an undergraduate work-study employee at the NIU Center for Latino and Latin American Studies, aspirations that tragically never came to pass; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia's outgoing personality endeared her to everyone she met, using her gregarious, adaptable, and outgoing personality to garner many friends and acquaintances; she was viewed by many as an "adaptable realist" who used her common sense and trusting her experiences and impulses to uncover the correct answer to any of life's problems; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia enjoyed creating and making things, collecting stuffed animals, talking on the phone, eating, and watching and playing sports, especially volleyball; she also enjoyed traveling to new and different places, including Barreras, Mexico, and Washington D.C.; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia was an animal lover who cherished her pets, enjoying their company almost as much as she enjoyed being with other people; one of her favorite pets was Chapulin, a toy poodle she owned; and

WHEREAS, During her high school years, Catalina Garcia was a member of the Dance Club (Audacity) and MEBE; during college, she joined the Mujer a Mujer Mentoring Program and was an active member of the Mentor/Mentee; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia was a member Our Lady of Mount Catholic Church for three years; she considered faith to be an important pillar in her life; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia's life was tragically cut short in the events at Northern Illinois University on February 14, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Catalina Garcia will be remembered by all who knew and loved her as an optimistic, loving, and energetic person who brought joy to everyone around her; the light and love she brought into the lives of everyone she knew will be remembered forever; therefore, be it

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

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