SR0870 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0870 LRB099 13860 MST 37837 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Stephen F. Esslinger of Elmwood, who passed away on August 11, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger was born in Washington on August 9, 1946 to Russell M. and Neva Lichtenberger; he married Bonnie Frazelle on May 14, 1966 in Lewistown; and

WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger worked as a police officer for the City of Peoria; "Essy", as he became known in the department, was hired by the City of Peoria Police Department in November of 1971; he was chosen as a field training officer, bearing the responsibility for training newly hired police officers; he continued to serve in this capacity until his promotion to the rank of Sergeant in 1983; and

WHEREAS, As a Sergeant, Stephen Esslinger supervised the Communication Dispatch and Information Center, Third Shift Patrol, and the Special Investigations Division; he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1993 and graduated from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command; during his time as a Lieutenant, he served as commander of several divisions, including Third Shift Patrol, Juvenile, Criminal Investigations, and Special Investigations; he was appointed captain on June 6, 1999 and was the commander of The Uniformed Services Division, the largest division of the police department, until his retirement on March 20, 2003; and

WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger was preceded in death by his parents; and

WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger is survived by his wife, Bonnie; his 3 children, Dawn (Mike) Carter, Tonya (Mike) Doty, and Heather (Lendsy) Gaiter; his 9 grandchildren, Brittany, Alexus, Ashlee, Kevin, Trever, Zach, Uniquek, Ellaina, and Sierra; his 3 great-grandchildren, Aniyah, Nevaeh, and Kiyan; his sister, Camille (John) Gibson; his sister-in-law, Jeri (Butch) Guenther; and his 2 nephews, Eric (Michelle) Guenther and Shawn (Abby) Guenther; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Stephen F. Esslinger, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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