SR1076 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1076 LRB099 14598 MST 38735 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Alexis Ann Wernsing of Litchfield, who passed away on October 1, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Alexis Wernsing was born in Litchfield on May 10, 1975 to Edwin "Big Ed" and Patricia (nee Beeler) Wernsing; she attended Zion Lutheran School and graduated from Litchfield High School in May of 1994; she graduated from Lincoln Land Community College in May of 2011 with an Associate in Arts degree with honors and was commencement speaker for her graduating class; and

WHEREAS, Alexis Wernsing most recently attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was pursuing a degree in art history; she had been a resident of Nugent Hall there for the past 4 years and served on the Director's Student Advisory Council at Beckwith Residential Support Services; she received the Chez Family Foundation Scholarship for the past 2 years and the Urbana-Champaign Business Women's Club Scholarship; and

WHEREAS, Alexis Wernsing student taught at Lincoln Land Community College for the past 3 summers and was a teaching assistant for Dr. Deana McDonagh on the U of I campus; most recently, they were working to design and build a voice amplifying system called AmpliMy that received a $10,000 Illinois Proof-of-Concept award from the U of I Office of Technology Management; and

WHEREAS, Alexis Wernsing enjoyed friends and Facebook and communicating by texting; she was close to her 2 nephews and enjoyed playing Uno with them; her favorite pet was Heinrich, her dachshund, who frequently sat on her lap and rode on the Weiner taxi; she was a fan of the St. Louis Blues Hockey team, frequently attending games with her family; and

WHEREAS, Alexis Wernsing was a member of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Litchfield, where she was active in the Ladies Aid group; and

WHEREAS, Alexis Wernsing was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather, Ralph Beeler, and her paternal grandparents, Burrell and Melvina Wernsing; and

WHEREAS, Alexis Wernsing is survived by her parents; her brother, Doug (Michelle, nee Leefers); her nephews, Landon Paul and Carter Dean Wernsing; her grandmother, Lucille (Gronewald) Beeler; her godparents, Darrel and Karen Wernsing; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins; she also considered her friends at LLCC in Springfield and at U of I at Urbana-Champaign to be her family; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Alexis Ann Wernsing, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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