SR0062 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0062 LRB102 14501 LAW 19854 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Betty "BJ" Thetford of Metamora, formerly of Washington, who passed away on January 10, 2021; and

WHEREAS, BJ Thetford was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Clarence Harder and Hazel (Bradshaw) Harder on December 27, 1931; she graduated from Woodruff High School in 1949, where she belonged to the choir; she later attended Midstate College to further hone her executive secretarial skills; she married Gentry Cain Thetford in Peoria on March 18, 1951, and he preceded her in death on February 8, 2013; and

WHEREAS, BJ Thetford was employed for the majority of her career at Caterpillar; she began in the secretarial pool at Caterpillar and worked in a number of positions; she left Caterpillar only briefly to be reunited with Dr. Asbury, who left as Caterpillar's medical director to become the medical director for Proctor Hospital; she was devoted to her work and enjoyed working for former Director of Public Affairs Byron DeHaan and working with Steve Newhouse on the Caterpillar Annual Report in the 1980s; after over 35 years, she retired from the Personnel department of Caterpillar in 1993; during her career, she belonged to Peoria's chapter of the National Secretaries Association, where she served as a speaker and an officer; she was an outstanding secretary and communicator, and she was fiercely loyal to her superiors as well as her coworkers; and

WHEREAS, BJ Thetford was a former member of Sunnyland Christian Church before becoming a member at First Christian Church in Peoria, where she served as a deacon and was a choir member at both; she was a woman of many talents and was a wonderful cook, seamstress, artist, and singer; she was in barbershop quartets with her brother as a young adult; she was a soloist for weddings and funerals; she was the former member of a trio, consisting of Helen Manier, Norma Hoffmire, and herself, from Sunnyland who sang at numerous events for a number of years; she was later a member of the ECCU Keys with her good friend Kay Sharp from Sunnyland, and they performed at various churches and venues over the years while she also served as the MC and comedienne between musical numbers; she became a member of the Snyder Village Gospel Choir after she moved to Snyder Village in 2010; and

WHEREAS, BJ Thetford firmly believed her children were her greatest achievement, and she was known for her constant love and support she gave her family; she will be deeply missed; and

WHEREAS, BJ Thetford was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; and her brother, Elroy Harder; and

WHEREAS, BJ Thetford is survived by her children, Gale Thetford, Donn Thetford, and Sheri (Robert) Perkins; her grandsons, Nathan (Allison) Tonnies, Stuart Schmadeke (Lauren Howard), Derek (Jessie) Thetford, Taylor Perkins, and Aaron (Elsa) Perkins; her great-grandchildren, Tyler Mollman and Hazel Tonnies; her sister, Caren (Dick) Lobo; her stepmother, Alice Harder Ragan; and her nephew, Michael (Jamie) Harder; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Betty "BJ" Thetford and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of BJ Thetford as an expression of our deepest sympathy.