SR1329 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1329 LRB101 21929 MST 72937 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Samuel "Sam" Marcusson, who passed away on July 19, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Sam Marcusson was born in Portland, Oregon to Agnes and Manfred Marcusson on January 21, 1945; when he was about a year old his parents moved to Sweden, and he lived there until he was about five, at which time his family returned to the U.S. and settled in Chicago; he met Darlene on September 17, 1966, and they were engaged by that Thanksgiving; they married on April 22, 1967 and settled on the north side of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Sam Marcusson and Darlene had their first child, Nicole, in 1972; the family moved to St. Charles, and he was hired by the city to work in the street department; he also served as an on call firefighter and was assigned to the aerial ladder truck; their second child, Bethany, was born in 1976; and

WHEREAS, Sam Marcusson loved his girls and was never too tired at the end of the day to play with them; he also volunteered at their school and never missed one of their softball or volleyball games; he loved to take the girls "sailing" on Saturdays, going to the best garage sales in town and treasure hunting; he was a very faithful, giving, caring person and throughout his life never hesitated to help anyone in need; and

WHEREAS, Sam Marcusson helped resettle Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s; he volunteered extensively at a homeless shelter in Aurora in the 1980s; he and his wife founded a homeless shelter in St. Charles in 1997, the Lazarus House, which is now an established part of the community and has helped thousands of people over the years; and

WHEREAS, Sam Marcusson's first grandchild, Samuel Marcus, was born in 2002; the following year, his second grandson, Micah Marcus, was born; he adored the boys and shared his love of fishing with them; and

WHEREAS, Sam Marcusson and Darlene retired and moved to Coconut Creek, Florida in 2012 and began volunteering with a homeless ministry; one night when Sam was volunteering at a soup kitchen, a homeless guest came to the door barefoot and told Sam that someone had stolen his shoes; without a moment's hesitation, Sam stepped out of his shoes and offered them as a replacement; 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 Samuel "Sam" Marcusson 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 Sam Marcusson as an expression of our deepest sympathy.