SR0961 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0961 LRB096 23807 GRL 43192 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Bruce H. Conley of Elburn, who passed away on September 11, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Conley was born on April 13, 1950, in Elburn; he was the youngest child of Charles and Winifred McMurray Conley; he spent his early years playing in his neighborhood, "hunting tigers", playing cowboys and Indians, and spending many hours swinging in his grandparents' backyard, where sometimes he could be heard singing "O, My Papa"; his outdoors activities were often limited due to hay fever and allergies, leading him to learn to express himself through music and writing; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Conley attended Elburn Grade School and Kaneland High School, where he excelled in music and graduated with the Class of 1968; he began playing cornet in the fifth grade and took private lessons at Dee Palmer's in DeKalb; he played a Bach trumpet in high school and college, at many family "jam sessions" and, until recently, in tribute to many veterans as they were laid to rest; as a teenager, his music took him another direction and he helped create The Uther Days, a rock band later also known as Denver Green; Bruce played lead guitar, with Dave Johnson, Steve Gliddon, and Bob Hamblen making up the rest of the band; and

WHEREAS, After graduation, Bruce Conley attended North Central College in Naperville, where he majored in music; during his senior year in high school, he began training as an aid at Delnor Hospital in St. Charles; while at Delnor Hospital, he met Kristine McConnaughay, a junior at St. Charles High School, and the pair soon fell in love; after his freshman year at North Central, he transferred to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he began his studies in mortuary science; he subsequently studied psychology at Wisconsin State University and mass communication at Northern Illinois University before entering the Army Reserve in 1971; after returning home, he became an on-air announcer at WKKD-FM in Aurora; and

WHEREAS, On October 7, 1972, Bruce and Kris Conley were united in marriage at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles; the couple settled into their home on South Main Street in Elburn; that same year, he decided to return to his mortuary science studies and began attending Worsham College in Chicago, where he graduated in 1973, and joined his parents in the family business; on October 11, 1976, Bruce and Kris were blessed with the birth of their son, Benjamin Hale; on February 1, 1982, Bruce and Kris were once again blessed with the birth of their daughter, Sarah Louise; in 1983, Bruce and his family moved to their new home on Main Street; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Bruce Conley was passionate about helping grieving children; in 1975, he penned "Butterflies, Grandpa & Me", a story and coloring book illustrated by his sister, Karen, and written to help explain death, grief, and the funeral to children; thousands of copies of the book were published and used throughout the years by funeral homes, churches, and hospice programs, along with his later books, "Handling the Holidays" and "Plain Paper Poems", which contained poems written by Bruce and Karen; he also wrote a number of bereavement pamphlets, several of which were translated and used in bereavement groups in South Africa; his publications are still used across the country by those who are dedicated to helping grieving families; his writing and speaking on grief also attracted him to a number of self-help programs that began in the early 1980s across the Fox Valley; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Conley was instrumental in the founding of Compassionate Friends, Survivors of Suicide, the Widowed Persons Service, Fox Valley Hospice, and the DeKalb Hospice, among many other programs; in 1983, he founded Elburn's first counseling center with Dr. Del Hagin of Aurora College, which would grow beyond bereavement to become Conley Outreach Community Services, which was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1995; in the fall of 1985, Bruce took on the challenge of saving the old Elburn Elementary School as a community center; with the help of many others in his community, he succeeded and founded the Elburn and Countryside Community Center as a not-for-profit organization; Bruce was involved in State and national associations concerned with bereavement care throughout much of the 1990s; in 1995, he led the first conclave between the National Hospice Organization and the National Funeral Directors Association; in 1998, he chaired the Association for Death Education and Counseling national conference held in Chicago; in 2000, his focus returned home to take over the West Towns Network, a tax supported program of 708 Inc., which became a service of Conley Outreach; in 2001, Bruce joined with Dr. Michael Mangis and Dr. Donald Preussler of Wheaton College to create the Center for Rural Psychology, which took over the counseling arm of Conley Outreach to become Heartland Counseling; Bruce's ultimate vision for combined bereavement and community care found dimension in his dream of a barn raising on the grounds of the Ravlin homestead in Kaneville which he acquired in 1997; though the barn never came to be, many of the programs and services he envisioned did evolve at the farm through the tireless efforts of volunteers who created a prayer garden and made use of existing buildings to host various programs and gatherings; in 2005, Bruce and Kris moved from Elburn to make their home at the Conley Outreach Farm in Kaneville; he was also a member of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, the National Funeral Directors Association, ADEC, Blackberry Lodge #630 AF & AM in Elburn, and the Community Congregational Church in Elburn and helped various schools to create crisis teams and programs to meet the needs of students; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Conley wrote countless songs and stories that left special memories in the hearts of his children, niece, nephews, and friends; his repertoire included songs of faith, songs for travel and adventure, and even a song for "going to get a Christmas tree"; his most recent song, "My Offering, The Vision", was penned in the last days of his life; Bruce loved children and spent many years developing programs to help and to teach the children of his community and the world at large; he also wrote songs for his nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and his grandchildren, including a Christmas story, "Bethlehem Kids", which included not only his grandchildren but several other children who held a special place in his heart; throughout his battle with cancer, he wrote inspiring journal entries on Caring Bridge that were read by thousands of people across the country who were touched by his God given skills, caring, words, vision, and faith; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Conley was preceded in death by one child in infancy; his parents, Charles and Winifred Conley; his brother, Wayne; his paternal and maternal grandparents; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Lloyd and Gladys McConnaughay; and his uncle, George McCloud; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Conley is survived by his devoted and loving wife, Kris; his son, Ben (C.J.) Conley; his daughter, Sarah Conley; his beloved grandchildren, Andy, Em, Matt, and Mikey Conley; his sister, Karen (Les) Howard; his niece, Sheila (Phillip) Albano and their children, Nick and Katherine; his nephew, Bill Howard; his sister-in-law, Karen (Bill) Wootton and their son, Daniel Wootton; his aunts and uncle, Ruth McCloud and Ralph (Ferne) Conley; his extended family of cousins and their families; his many friends; and the countless people who have found comfort and hope in his writings, poems, and songs; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Conley will be fondly remembered by all who knew and loved him for his selfless and compassionate nature, his incredible creativity and talent, and his wonderful sense of humor and kindness to all; 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 Bruce H. Conley; and be it further

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