SR0356 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0356 LRB102 18808 LAW 27513 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Raphael "Ralph" Diederich of Wonder Lake, who passed away on January 13, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Diederich was born on April 4, 1947; he grew up in Chicago, where he attended Catholic school; he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966 to 1970, and he was stationed in Da Nang, Vietnam and became a trained mechanic during his service; he married Patricia on April 22, 1967, and they had four children; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Diederich had a career as a mechanic and truck driver; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Diederich was committed to community involvement, and he was a retired Wonder Lake volunteer firefighter, EMT, and a search and rescue scuba diver; he was also a past trustee; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Diederich volunteered for many military organizations in order to support veterans in any way he could; he was a past commander of the VFW; he was also a member of the American Legion, the Military Order of the Cootie, and the Knights of Columbus 4th Degree; he was also a board member of the VAC and involved in PLAV, Vietnow, Vrein, and AMVETS; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Diederich enjoyed spending time with his family, and they spent many summers in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; he enjoyed coaching youth baseball, boating, camping, flying, and watching NASCAR and football; he was known for his amazing, funny, and heartfelt stories and for being a dreamer who never gave up on his dreams and encouraged everyone around him to dream big; he will be missed by all; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Diederich was preceded in death by his parents, Jerry and Bernice Diederich, and his brother-in-law, Marty Koelper; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Diederich is survived by his wife of almost 54 years, Patricia (Triggs); his son, John (Lynda) Diederich; his daughter, Nancy; his son, Brian; his daughter, Dana; his sister, Cathy (Tom) Engleman; his brother, Mike (Margaret) Oester; his sister-in-law, Kathleen (Jim) Pieroni; and his sister-in-law, Mary Beth Koelper; 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 Raphael "Ralph" Diederich 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 Ralph Diederich as an expression of our deepest sympathy.