SR0609 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0609 LRB095 20507 KXB 48409 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Rose Sawako Tani of Lombard, who passed away on December 19, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Sawako Shigeno was born on February 20, 1917 in Florin, California, then a farming community outside of Sacramento; she was the third of six children born to Hikokuma and Koyoshi Shigeno, who had emigrated from Japan between 1906 and 1908; because an English name was required to enroll in public elementary school, an older sister gave her the name, Rose; and

WHEREAS, In 1940, Rose married Henry Nobuo Tani of San Francisco; soon after the birth of their first son in 1942, the Tani family, along with over 120,000 Japanese-Americans, was incarcerated by the United States government, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; on May 10, 1942, the Tani family was moved temporarily to Tanforan racetrack, south of San Francisco; after permanent internment camps were built around the country, the family was transferred to Topaz Relocation Center in Utah, where they lived for 16 months; in 1944 the Evangelical & Reformed Church offered Rose's husband a job, enabling the family to leave Topaz and move to St. Louis, Missouri; and

WHEREAS, Continued work for the church brought the family in 1951 to Ridley Park, Pennsylvania and in 1964 to Lombard, where Rose settled after her husband's death in 1965; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her life, Rose was known for her devotion to her family, her garden, and her church; as a long-time member of the First Church of Lombard, United Church of Christ, Rose volunteered in many church programs; she worked a monthly night shift at PADS, an overnight shelter for homeless people, up to the time of her death; and

WHEREAS, Rose Tani is survived by her four children, Richard (Ann), Steven (Tricia), Christine, and Daniel (Jane); her third son, John, died in 1992; she is survived by her twelve grandchildren, her two great-grandchildren, and one sister, Nobuko Kawagoye (Mits); 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 Rose Sawako Tani; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Rose Sawako Tani as a symbol of our sincere condolences.