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91_SR0475
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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 express their sincere condolences to the family and friends
4 of John Sprague, Sr., of Belleville, Illinois, who recently
5 passed away; and
6 WHEREAS, John Sprague, Sr. was born in Belleville,
7 Illinois on July 8, 1915; his parents were Reno (John) Nelson
8 Sprague and Katherine (Rohr) Sprague; he was the seventh
9 great-grandson of the pilgrim Francis Sprague of Duxbury,
10 Massachusetts; and
11 WHEREAS, John Sprague, Sr. attended St. Luke's Grade
12 School, Belleville Township High School, and was graduate of
13 St. Louis University, where he graduated with a Bachelor's
14 degree in law in 1937; and
15 WHEREAS, John Sprague, Sr. was active in the Boy Scouts
16 of America, where he reached the rank of Eagle Scout; he was
17 a member of Delta Theta Phi National Legal Fraternity and the
18 Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit honorary fraternity; he was a
19 member of the Elks, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and the
20 Executive Board of the Kaskaskia Boy Scout Council; and
21 WHEREAS, John Sprague, Sr. practiced law in the city of
22 Belleville from 1937 until his passing; and
23 WHEREAS, John Sprague, Sr. attended officer candidate
24 school in Miami, Florida, and served as a United States Naval
25 officer; he taught seamanship at Princeton and served on the
26 USS Thetis Bay (CVE-90) during World War II; and
27 WHEREAS, John Sprague, Sr. traveled the world and was an
28 avid hunter and fisherman; he was active in politics and
29 served as the Democratic County Chairman for many years; he
30 also served on the board of directors of Magna Bank; and
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1 WHEREAS, The passing of John Sprague, Sr. will be felt by
2 all who knew him, especially his sons, John Reno (wife,
3 Donna), Robert Joseph (wife, Patricia), and Theodore Reno
4 (wife, Natalie); his daughters, Mary Catherine (husband,
5 John) Langsdorf and Heather Ann (husband, John) Wilmesher;
6 his sisters, Catherine Rose "Dolly" (husband, Bert) Olsen and
7 Emma Francis Simmons; his grandchildren, Desiree Yulonda
8 Cravens, Stuart Alexander Sprague, Reno Joseph Sprague,
9 Jennifer Adeile Moretton, Robert Chamblin Sprague, Jared
10 Robert Kirby, and John Robert Wilmesher; and his six
11 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
12 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIRST GENERAL
13 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
14 all who knew and loved him, the passing of John Sprague, Sr.
15 of Belleville, Illinois; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to the family of John Sprague, Sr..
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