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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
| 3 | to learn of the death of Barbara Ann (Fox) Vanek, who passed | ||||||
| 4 | away on June 6, 2024; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek was born in Seymour, Indiana on | ||||||
| 6 | July 14, 1943 and was the only daughter of Harry and Alice Fox; | ||||||
| 7 | and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek attended Our Lady of Grace Academy | ||||||
| 9 | in Beech Grove, Indiana and graduated from Saint | ||||||
| 10 | Mary-of-the-Woods College in 1965; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek spent two years working as a | ||||||
| 12 | Catholic extension volunteer in Guymon, Oklahoma and, while | ||||||
| 13 | there, became lifelong friends with Claudia Zinnanni; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek moved to Chicago, where she met the | ||||||
| 15 | love of her life, Wayne Vanek, in 1969; she and Wayne married | ||||||
| 16 | at Childerley Chapel in Wheeling on December 10, 1972; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek and Wayne moved to Oak Park after | ||||||
| 18 | marrying and became active members of St. Catherine-St. Lucy | ||||||
| 19 | Church, where they raised their children and pioneered a | ||||||
| 20 | community, and she led the children's choir; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek served as the secretary of | ||||||
| 2 | Longfellow School in the early 1990s before joining RUSH | ||||||
| 3 | Medical Center as the office manager of the Youth Suicide | ||||||
| 4 | Prevention Program; she continued her career at RUSH, becoming | ||||||
| 5 | chief administrator of the Office of Research Compliance; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek served on the board of PCC | ||||||
| 7 | Community Wellness Center for 18 years, helping them expand | ||||||
| 8 | into multiple locations on Chicago's West Side, which included | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois' first freestanding Birth Center; and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek loved to cultivate community | ||||||
| 11 | through her cooking and baking, which took the form of | ||||||
| 12 | homemade cakes and cookies for family, friends, neighbors, and | ||||||
| 13 | church functions; she also spent 16 years helping serve meals | ||||||
| 14 | at a Housing Forward, formerly PADS, overnight shelter; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek's cooking and baking were shared | ||||||
| 16 | across numerous tables and helped cultivate countless hours of | ||||||
| 17 | laughter and deep conversation whether those tables were set | ||||||
| 18 | for breakfast or playing cards or served as the place of | ||||||
| 19 | theological discussions; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Barbara Vanek is survived by her husband, Wayne; | ||||||
| 21 | her children, Nathan, Ray (Rachel), and Seth; her | ||||||
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| 1 | daughters-in-law, Allison Vanek, Hillary Stone, and Saunia | ||||||
| 2 | Powell; and her grandchildren, Alex Vanek and Sasha Vanek; | ||||||
| 3 | therefore, be it | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
| 5 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
| 6 | Barbara Ann (Fox) Vanek and extend our sincere condolences to | ||||||
| 7 | her family, friends and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
| 8 | further | ||||||
| 9 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 10 | presented to the family of Barbara Vanek as an expression of | ||||||
| 11 | our deepest sympathy. | ||||||