SR1203 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1203 LRB101 21487 MST 72179 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Gary D. Niebur of Edwardsville, who passed away on May 2, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was born in Wood River to Melvin and Edna (Huelsman) Niebur on September 13, 1955; he grew up on Dunlap Lake and spent many summers playing Little League and Legion Post 199 baseball; he loved to recount the story of the home run that made its way from the ball field to the Leclaire water tower; he married Debra Werden at St. Boniface Church in Edwardsville on July 15, 1983; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur served as chief executive officer of the Edwardsville YMCA for 35 years, accepting the position in 1982; he established the financial assistance scholarship program to ensure that every resident could participate in YMCA programming, regardless of their ability to pay; under his leadership, the organization grew steadily in membership, expanded to three locations, and achieved record levels of private donations to fund capital improvements by the time of his retirement in 2018; upon his retirement, the Edwardsville YMCA Board of Directors named the ESIC facility the "Niebur Center" in his honor; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur began his career with the City of Edwardsville as a teenager, doing lawn maintenance for the parks and recreation department; in 1985, he was elected to the city council, where he spent eight years as an alderman; in 1993, he began his first term as mayor of Edwardsville, a position he held for 20 years; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was active with multiple organizations, including the Edwardsville Rotary Club, the Anderson Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, the Greater Edwardsville Area Foundation, the First Cloverleaf Bank Board of Directors, and the Metro East Park and Recreation District; he was also a member of the Illinois Municipal League, where he served as president in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was the recipient of numerous community service awards and accolades, including the Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the State of Illinois, the Rotary Club International Paul Harris Fellowship Award, the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award, the SIUE Religious Center Interfaith Award, and the Edwardsville Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur loved last minute road trips with anyone that would ride along and most frequently visited Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri and Miramar Beach, Florida; he often bragged about the peak of his golf career, winning the 1995 Sunset Hills Member Guest Championship with his dear friend Gordon Broom; anyone that had the pleasure of being seated next to him at a social gathering was guaranteed to have an entertaining evening of laughter and story telling; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur was preceded in death by his father, Melvin Niebur; and

WHEREAS, Gary Niebur is survived by his wife, Debra; his daughters, Ashley (Josh) Sharp, Amanda Niebur, and Abby Niebur; his son, Andrew Niebur; his grandchildren, Blair and Brady Sharp; his brother, Randy (Jo) Niebur; his sister, Jan (Mark) Muckensturm; his sister, Gail (Roy) Eagle; his brother, Mark Niebur; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family; 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 Gary D. Niebur 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 Gary Niebur as an expression of our deepest sympathy.