SR2239 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2239 LRB100 24390 ALS 43703 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of former Illinois State Senator Thomas Lee "Tom" Johnson of West Chicago, who passed away on December 3, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson was born in Oakland, California to Wallace and Raechel (Oslund) Johnson on April 30, 1945; he spent much of his youth in South Dakota and Illinois; his father was a minister, and his mother was a homemaker; his four grandparents, Elof and Jennie Johnson and August and Hannah Oslund emigrated from Sweden to the United States in the late 19th century; he graduated from Oak Lawn Community High School in 1963; he served in the United States Army, which included a tour of duty in Vietnam, from 1966 until 1968; he then earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 1970 and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in 1974; and

WHEREAS, Following law school, Sen. Johnson joined the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office as Assistant State's Attorney, where he became Chief of the White Collar Crime Division; in 1979, he co-founded a private practice, Johnson & Westra, in Wheaton; he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1993 and served the 50th District until 2003; while in the House, he chaired the Judiciary Committee and was co-chairman of the Illinois Prison Reform Committee; from 2011 until 2013 he served as the Illinois State Senator for the 48th District; he was an effective legislator, known for consistently and respectfully reaching across the aisle to find common ground; and

WHEREAS, After elective office, Sen. Johnson was appointed by the governor to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and served for 14 years; he also served on the boards of the Missionary Furlough Homes Foundation, the Greater Europe Mission, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative, the Wheaton Youth Outreach, and the advisory board of Illinois Citizens for Life; in addition to their deep commitment to Wheaton Bible Church, he and Ginger also welcomed refugees from Ukraine, Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina into their home, often for years at a time; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson was widely respected as a man of conviction, integrity, courage, wisdom, fairness, and good humor; in all things, he partnered with the love of his life, Ginger; his family was his greatest pride and joy; he encouraged each one to go out into the world with a spirit of humility, a dedication to service, and a belief that there is virtue in working to solve problems, both large and small; he enjoyed fishing with his sons, tooling around his workshop, and tending to a menagerie of horses, chickens, geese, and goats; on Saturdays, he could often be found golfing with his sons and friends; for the last 11 summers, he and Ginger ran a week-long adventure camp for their grandchildren at their home; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Elizabeth "Betty" Rae Johnson; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson is survived by his wife and friend of more than 50 years, Virginia "Ginger" Van Der Molen Johnson; his sons and their spouses, Soren and (Ever Horan) Johnson, Derek (Carolyn Hutchinson) Johnson, and Kirk (Marie-Josee Cantin) Johnson; his grandchildren, Ever, Owen, Berend, Virginia, Charlie, Vivian, Anders, August, and Isidora; his brothers, David (Marianne Hess) Johnson and Paul (Pat Joslyn) Johnson; his 19 nieces and nephews; and his 30 great-nieces and great-nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of former Illinois State Senator Thomas Lee "Tom" Johnson 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 Sen. Tom Johnson as an expression of our deepest sympathy.