Full Text of SR1343 102nd General Assembly
SR1343 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Stephen "Steve" Riess of Hawthorn | 4 | | Woods, who passed away on November 8, 2022; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Steve Riess was born to Hans and Gladys (Ross) | 6 | | Riess in Evanston on January 5, 1953; as a boy, he spent his | 7 | | summers camping, fishing, and learning to identify all | 8 | | varieties of trees and birds; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Steve Riess served as a trustee of Hawthorn Woods | 10 | | Village for over 23 years; he first took the oath of office on | 11 | | May 10, 1999, and he was reelected for another five terms; | 12 | | during his tenure, he was a strong advocate for the purchase of | 13 | | equipment and technology to ensure village staff had the best | 14 | | tools possible to smoothly perform their customer service | 15 | | duties to the residents and the business community; he was | 16 | | instrumental in securing radios in all Public Works trucks and | 17 | | led the effort towards providing recycling containers in all | 18 | | public parks and facilities; he was also a member of the | 19 | | Village's Business Continuity Work Group, and he was a strong | 20 | | leader in advising staff in technology; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Steve Riess additionally served the Hawthorn | 22 | | Woods community by dedicating his time to various committees; |
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| 1 | | he was first appointed to the Finance Committee on January 13, | 2 | | 2009, where he passionately advocated for the importance of | 3 | | providing a sustainable funding mechanism for the repair and | 4 | | maintenance of village roads and provided institutional | 5 | | knowledge about funding of past road programs; since October | 6 | | 21, 1999, he served on the Environmental Committee, now known | 7 | | as the Sustainability Committee, where he created public | 8 | | education programs and workshops; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Steve Riess' passion for environmental | 10 | | preservation included his work in establishing a relationship | 11 | | with the Chicago Regional Tree Initiative to collect data on | 12 | | the Hawthorn Woods Tree Canopy, his leadership in applying for | 13 | | and Hawthorn Woods being awarded seven Tree City Awards from | 14 | | the National Arbor Day Foundation, his efforts to secure a | 15 | | Community Growth Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation, | 16 | | his work in creating the Heritage Tree Designation for the | 17 | | village, his leadership in reviewing, revising, and updating | 18 | | the village's Tree Ordinance, his efforts in investigating the | 19 | | plausibility of creating floating habitat islands in village | 20 | | waterways, his work to create a Tree Management Plan through a | 21 | | grant from the Morton Arboretum and the U.S. Forestry | 22 | | Department, his involvement in implementing a village-wide | 23 | | annual Arbor Day observance by distributing trees to District | 24 | | 95 students and residents with over 2,000 saplings being | 25 | | provided in the last seven years, his efforts to educate staff |
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| 1 | | and residents about the impact of phosphorus in lawncare | 2 | | applications, his implementation of the Adopt-A-Highway | 3 | | program along Old McHenry Road, and his volunteerism in | 4 | | planting flower bulbs throughout Hawthorn Woods; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Steve Riess also dedicated his time with service | 6 | | on the District 95 Alternative Employment Committee, promoting | 7 | | careers that did not require a college education, such as the | 8 | | trades, truck driving, and landscaping; through this work, he | 9 | | served as a mentor to several high school and post high school | 10 | | students and recruited county businesses to provide | 11 | | internships or work/study programs; he also served as a | 12 | | director to the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County and was a | 13 | | frequent lecturer at both the Ela Area Public Library and the | 14 | | Fremont Public Library; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Steve Riess will be fondly remembered for his | 16 | | quick wit, his love of good food, and his love for the | 17 | | outdoors, where he felt most at home; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Steve Riess is survived by his loving wife, | 19 | | MaryAnn; his daughters, Sarah and Rachel; his grandson, | 20 | | Gabriel; and his brother, Martin; therefore, be it
| 21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 22 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
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| 1 | | Stephen "Steve" Riess and extend our sincere condolences to | 2 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 3 | | further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
| 5 | | presented to the family of Steve Riess as an expression of
our | 6 | | deepest sympathy.
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