Full Text of SR0295 95th General Assembly
SR0295 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SR0295 |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of Robert M. Coombs of Winfield, who passed | 4 |
| away on September 21, 2006; and
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| WHEREAS, Robert M. Coombs was born September 30, 1919, in | 6 |
| Belleville, Kansas; he was a scholar and athlete in high | 7 |
| school, earning a football scholarship to Washburn University | 8 |
| in Kansas, where he played defensive tackle; he met and later | 9 |
| married Margaret Wolter at St. Augustine's Catholic Church in | 10 |
| Chicago in 1942; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs was elected as an alderman of the | 12 |
| Batavia City Council in 1952, serving for several years; he was | 13 |
| a member of the Fraternal Order of the Moose, Batavia Chapter, | 14 |
| and held every office, including Governor; he also played Santa | 15 |
| Claus at Mooseheart, "The Child City," a home for orphans, | 16 |
| where he appeared every Christmas for 32 years; and
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| WHEREAS, The family moved to Winfield in 1956, where Mr. | 18 |
| Coombs enjoyed serving at annual pancake breakfasts and | 19 |
| spaghetti dinners at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church; he | 20 |
| and his wife Margaret were also church leaders for the | 21 |
| Christian Family Movement and were instrumental in | 22 |
| establishing Winfield's first public library; and |
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs was appointed chairman of the Zoning | 2 |
| Board of Appeals and was later elected Mayor of Winfield for | 3 |
| two consecutive terms; he was asked a second time to chair the | 4 |
| Zoning Board of Appeals following his years as the village's | 5 |
| mayor; in 1988, he and Margaret were selected as Grand Marshals | 6 |
| in the parade for Winfield's Centennial Good Ole Days | 7 |
| celebration; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1981, following the murder of their youngest | 9 |
| son, Christopher, Mr. Coombs and his wife initiated the First | 10 |
| Illinois Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC), so | 11 |
| that other families in Illinois would have somewhere to turn; | 12 |
| they were appointed to Illinois Attorney General Neil F. | 13 |
| Hartigan's Task Force on Victims of Crime and played an | 14 |
| important role in the passage of the first Illinois bill for | 15 |
| victims' rights; they also received an award from Chicago Mayor | 16 |
| Richard M. Daley for their work for victims of crime, and were | 17 |
| the first recipients of the Lisa M. Hullinger Award from the | 18 |
| National POMC Chapter for their efforts on behalf of families; | 19 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs spent his professional career as an | 21 |
| executive in the transportation industry, specializing in | 22 |
| labor relations; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Coombs was preceded in death by his wife, | 2 |
| Margaret, youngest son, Christopher, and an older brother, | 3 |
| Ralph; and | 4 |
| WHEREAS, Robert M. Coombs is survived by his daughters, | 5 |
| Carolyn (Ed) Wines and MaryEllen Coombs; his sons, Robert | 6 |
| Coombs, and Ralph (Kathryn) Coombs; his grandchildren, | 7 |
| Christine (Christopher) Bourseau, Patricia (James) Bockeloh, | 8 |
| Matthew (Jennifer) Wines, Christopher (Jennifer) Coombs, | 9 |
| Christy Coombs, and Sarah Coombs; his great-grandchildren, | 10 |
| Jason, Brandon and Chelsea Jung, Kolten and Brayden Wines, | 11 |
| Jamisyn Bockeloh, and Piper and Autumn Bourseau; and his | 12 |
| sister, Betty (Lyle) Siple; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 14 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 15 |
| his family and friends, the passing of Robert M. Coombs; and be | 16 |
| it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 |
| presented to the family of Robert M. Coombs as a symbol of our | 19 |
| sympathy.
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