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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
| 3 | to learn of the death of Donna Mae (Bonar) Haerr of St. Louis, | ||||||
| 4 | Missouri, formerly of Peoria, who passed away on March 18, | ||||||
| 5 | 2023; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr was born to Donald and Edna Lape | ||||||
| 7 | Bonar in Bloomington on May 9, 1930; she married Alvin R. Haerr | ||||||
| 8 | in Peoria in August 1957; she attended the University of | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois, where she pursued premed studies and majored in | ||||||
| 10 | biochemistry; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr pursued a career in medical | ||||||
| 12 | technology in Chicago and eventually in Peoria; later in life, | ||||||
| 13 | she reentered the workforce as the development director at | ||||||
| 14 | WCBU, a public radio station in central Illinois; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr was a born leader with a vision, and | ||||||
| 16 | she dedicated her passion to developing a community through | ||||||
| 17 | the arts, culture, and values; she served as president of the | ||||||
| 18 | Peoria Symphony Guild and the Lakeview Art Museum Board of | ||||||
| 19 | Directors; she served on multiple boards and was a member of | ||||||
| 20 | the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Lakeview Art Museum, the | ||||||
| 21 | Peoria Opera Company, the Salvation Army, and the Boys and | ||||||
| 22 | Girls Club of Peoria; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr was a key figure in establishing the | ||||||
| 2 | Community Foundation of Central Illinois in 1985, serving as | ||||||
| 3 | the its first executive director; during her tenure, she | ||||||
| 4 | helped initiate the Women's Fund in 1993; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr was a faithful member of First | ||||||
| 6 | Federated Church; she served as a lay leader for the church's | ||||||
| 7 | board and on the Mission Committee to coordinate community | ||||||
| 8 | reading programs and missions across the globe; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr's favorite symphony was Beethoven's | ||||||
| 10 | Symphony No. 9; in her final years, her artistic muse | ||||||
| 11 | culminated in a gallery of paintings inspired by her favorite | ||||||
| 12 | classical symphonies and treasured art pieces from around the | ||||||
| 13 | world; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr was preceded in death by her | ||||||
| 15 | grandson, Robert Kohn; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Donna Haerr is survived by her children, Debra | ||||||
| 17 | (James) Victor, Mark (Meg) Haerr, Diana (Andy) Kohn, and Eric | ||||||
| 18 | (Piya) Haerr; her grandchildren, Michael (Taylor Morgan) Kohn, | ||||||
| 19 | Kathryn Haerr (Matthew) Marcenelle, Christopher (Helena) | ||||||
| 20 | Haerr, and Davis Haerr; and her great-granddaughter, Gianna | ||||||
| 21 | Marcenelle; therefore, be it
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| 1 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
| 2 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
| 3 | Donna Mae (Bonar) Haerr and extend our sincere
condolences to | ||||||
| 4 | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
her; and be it | ||||||
| 5 | further
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| 6 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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| 7 | presented to the family of Donna Haerr as an expression of
our | ||||||
| 8 | deepest sympathy.
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