SR0994 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0994 LRB096 24151 KXB 43586 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Joan Pfau Callahan of Waukegan, who passed away on May 1, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Joan Callahan was born on December 4, 1928 in Racine, Wisconsin, the oldest child of Ennis "Speedy" Pfau and Charlotte (Robertson Pfau) Moore; she graduated from San Jacinto High School in Texas, attended Rice University, and then transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha; while at the University of Illinois, she met Harold R. Callahan, whom she married on October 22, 1949; and

WHEREAS, She lived in Waukegan for the next 60 years; she earned her real estate license in 1969; a few years later, she and two partners started their own firm, Callahan Blandings Schaper Realtors (CBS); after 20 successful years as a real estate agent and broker, she retired in 1989, although she continued to be one of the owners of North Shore Printers, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, Joan was very active in her community, including being a founding member and past President of the Waukegan Community Players, the AAUW Nursery School, Lake County Crimestoppers, and the Waukegan Garden Club; she was elected to three 6-year terms on the Waukegan Park District Board and also served as President; she was a member and past President of the Waukegan Schools Foundation; she was a member of the Junior Women's League, a board member of the Waukegan Lake County Chamber of Commerce, and a lifetime member of the Glen Flora Country Club; she was a member of many environmental groups, including the Illinois Dunesland Society, the Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy; and

WHEREAS, In the late 1990s, she spearheaded Waukegan's efforts to replant Liberty Elms after Dutch Elm Disease ravaged the town's trees; she was a member of St. Anastasia Church; she was an avid athlete who swam nearly every day, and, in 2004, she was proud and thrilled when she was awarded her varsity letter from the University of Illinois for participating in both swimming and basketball in the 1940s; and

WHEREAS, Joan will be remembered by her large and loving family and to all who knew or came in contact with her as a unique and generous individual; she was a quirky collector of antiques, a world traveler, and a theater and movie buff who rarely slowed down; in her 70s, she participated in the Polar Bear Plunge and was a Senior Olympic Basketball Champion; her collection of rings, purses, and sweaters never failed to get noticed and she always had a story to share to go along with them; and

WHEREAS, Joan Callahan was preceded in death by her best friend and husband of 57 years, Harold; her father; her mother; her brothers, John and Jim; her son-in-law, David Franklin; and her adored son, Henry; and

WHEREAS, Joan Callahan is survived by her children, Joe (Caroline), Peter (Crystal), Jay (Mary T.), Melissa, Charlotte (Martin) Wozniak, Shelagh (Ray La Soya), and Amy; and her beautiful grandchildren, Kimberly, Kellyn, Katie, Tierney, Chandler, Zachary, Jacob, Matt, Grant, Zoe, and Henry; therefore, be it

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

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