HR0280 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0280 LRB102 18379 MST 26230 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Martin "Marty" Ozinga III; and

WHEREAS, Marty Ozinga began working for his family's business, Ozinga, at the age of 15 as a $1-per-hour laborer in the company's first yard in Evergreen Park; by the age of 18, he was driving a ready-mix concrete truck for union wages while earning a degree in psychology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan; he became general manager in 1973 at age 23 and, in 1985, succeeded his father as president of Ozinga; he was married to his wife Ruth for 40 years; and

WHEREAS, Marty Ozinga led the business through a period of tremendous growth, including expansion in to the downtown Chicago market, where Ozinga supplied concrete for high-profile projects such as the construction of the new Comiskey Park (Guaranteed Rate Field), the renovation of Soldier Field, and the production of more than 250,000 cubic yards of concrete for the Dan Ryan Expressway; in 2012, he handed over the operations of the family business to his six sons and their cousin Jeff, representing the fourth generation of Ozinga ownership; and

WHEREAS, The Ozinga family has been deeply involved with Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, where Martin Ozinga Jr., father of Marty, was one of the school's founders; the school's Ozinga Chapel was built in 2001 in honor of Martin Ozinga Jr. and his wife; Marty Ozinga served on the college's board of trustees, and he and his wife, Ruth, were co-chairs of the college's capital fundraising campaign; four of their sons attended Trinity Christian; and

WHEREAS, Marty Ozinga found great joy in volunteering much of his time to Christian organizations; he will especially be remembered for treating co-workers with care and respect and generously giving of his time and resources to causes that helped those less fortunate in local communities and abroad; and

WHEREAS, Marty Ozinga was the beloved husband of Melissa (Ogden) Roeda and the late Ruth M. (Gombis) Ozinga; the loving father of Martin IV (Amy), Karl, Justin (Annie), Aaron (Amanda), Paul (Sarah), and Rep. Timothy (Amanda); the cherished grandfather of Martin V, Elyse, Jack, Ezra, Ayanna, Sunniva, Jude, Noah, Carmalee, Mercy, Mikayla, Alivia, Sydney, Gwyneth, Eden, Gavin, Macey, Austin, Isaac, Max, Ruth, Luke, Axel, Willa, Ezekiel, Ava, Aria, Zoe, and Elle; the dearest brother of Beverly Ozinga and the late Kenneth (Judy) Ozinga; the dear brother-in-law of Dr. Leon (Kathryn) Gombis and the late Theodore (Niki) Gombis; the much loved uncle of many nieces and nephews; the dear stepfather of Joshua (Karie) Roeda, Ryan (Melinda) Roeda, and Corinne (Brent) Guynes; and the step-grandfather of Aubrey, Addison, Amelia, Kylie, Cora, Liam, Sawyer, and Isla; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Martin "Marty" Ozinga III 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 Marty Ozinga as an expression of our deepest sympathy.