SR0805 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0805 LRB101 15261 MST 64558 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Steven F. "Steve" Graceffa of Roscoe, who passed away on October 31, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa was born in Rockford to Benjamin and Delores (Eastman) Graceffa on May 31, 1951; he graduated from Boylan Catholic High School in 1969 and married Linda Heisler on May 23, 1970; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa began work in 1970 as a truck driver; driving a brand new truck, he promptly got stuck in sludge, was pulled out, and tore off the front bumper in the process, thus began his career at Rock River Water Reclamation District; and

WHEREAS, As the district grew, Steve Graceffa's responsibilities grew; he became Supervisor of the Supporting Services Department in 1976, Supporting Services Manager in 1985, and District Director in 2005; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa was instrumental in moving the district from a small collection system with regional trucks to a collection system estimated to be the second largest in the State; this was accomplished with the assimilation of Loves Park, Cherry Valley, Roscoe, the City of Rockford, and the Village of Winnebago; the collection system now includes over 1,128 miles of pipe; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa established a five-year cleaning plan for the district, which has been in place for over 35 years and is now used by many communities throughout the United States as the standard in collection system management; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa moved the district through the modernization of cleaning equipment, including the addition of computers for use in collecting data, televising, and inspection of the collection system; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa was always first in implementing new technologies in the field of rehabilitation of the collection system; this included the lining of sewer mains and services, manhole rehabilitation, and a number of other technologies and methods, all in the pursuit of improving the collection system and reducing costs to the district's users; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa retired as a district director; he was honored by having the new administration building named after him in 2017; he served as the vice president of the J.U.L.I.E. board, and, after retirement, worked for Paper Recovery as a consultant; he was known for his incredible work ethic; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa dedicated his 46-year career to demonstrating an exemplary sense of duty to improve his community by protecting public health and the environment through innovative and cost-effective wastewater management; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa's community involvement and contributions included serving as president of IAWA and as a 16-year JULIE Board member and participation in RAEDC initiatives and Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa spent years with the Rockford Speedway and the Derry family; he enjoyed boating, time by the pool, traveling, his cherished Mustang, and his four-legged fury buddy Nicky; most of all, he loved his family and will be forever remembered as a great husband, dad, papa, son, uncle, cousin, and friend; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa was preceded in death by his mother, Delores Graceffa; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Donald and Patricia Heisler; his sister-in-law, Susan (Mike) Welter; his brother-in-law, James Heisler; and his best friend, Brian Wahl; and

WHEREAS, Steve Graceffa is survived by his wife, Linda; his sons, Scott (Amy) and Brian (Jackie) Graceffa; his grandchildren, Kayla (Tom) Zeimet, Matt Best, Baily Graceffa, Hannah Graceffa, and Braden Graceffa; his father, Ben Graceffa; his siblings, Ben (Doris) Graceffa, Dan (Pat) Graceffa, Phillip (Beth) Graceffa, Robert (JoMarie) Graceffa, Jeff (Sherry) Graceffa, and Sue (Dan) Habben; his in-laws, Michael (Doreen) Heisler, Steven (Sherry) Heisler, David (Mary) Heisler, and Debra McGuire; his goddaughters, Jennifer Betts and Justine Graceffa; his aunt, Jackie Fenelon; his longtime friends, Theresa Wahl, Mark and Denise VanVleck, and Frank Graceffa; and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Steven F. "Steve" Graceffa 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 Steve Graceffa as an expression of our deepest sympathy.