SR0732 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0732 LRB096 21774 KXB 39639 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Robert Lawrence Yancey of Godfrey, who passed away on March 16, 2010; and

WHEREAS, He was born on March 3, 1925, in Alton, to Walter Scott and Mabel (Dougherty) Yancey; his parents died when he was young, and he was raised by Charlie and Alpha Yancey; he married Earlene Waggoner on June 25, 1949, in Brighton; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Yancey was a graduate of Brighton High School and Shurtleff College, where he received a degree in business administration; and

WHEREAS, He was unable to enlist in the military during World War II due to deafness in one ear, so he served as a battlefield medic with the 19th Indian Division of the British Fourteenth Army through the auspices of the American Field Service; he participated in engagements in India and Burma in 1943 and 1944 and was wounded at the Battle of Kohima in June of 1944; and

WHEREAS, After his return from the war, he worked at Warner Funeral Home and the Illinois Glass Company until he was drafted into the United States Navy; after his honorable discharge, he worked for Sinclair Oil Company, Piasa Motor Fuels, and the Southern Illinois University Dental School, where he retired in 1993; and

WHEREAS, He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Brighton; he was a Freemason for almost 60 years; he was a volunteer at Alton Memorial Hospital and a devoted family man; he loved to travel and he loved dogs; he will be remembered for his sense of humor, his thoughtfulness, and his generosity; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his wife, Earlene; his parents; his brother, Joe; and his sisters, Dorothy, Maude, and Louise; and

WHEREAS, Robert Yancey is survived by his brother, Bill; his son, Charles (Vicki); his daughter, Elizabeth (Doug); his son, Jonathan; and his grandchildren, Robert L. Yancey, Joseph Yancey, Stephanie Leavell, and Clayton Leavell; therefore, be it

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

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Robert Yancey as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.