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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Carl
4William Strathmann, who passed away on March 7, 2026; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Carl Strathmann, the son of William and Sophie
6Strathmann, was born in Chicago on August 5, 1945; he proudly
7served as a medic in the United States Army; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Following his career as a data communications
9field engineer for AT&T, Carl Strathmann built a successful
10business in residential and commercial remodeling and
11rehabilitation management, Recon, leaving his signature on
12many homes, businesses, and the GM Corvette plant, where he
13was the architect of the network wiring infrastructure; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Carl Strathmann supported his community as an
15elected member of the Elgin Township Board and the
16longest-sitting chair of the Elgin Township Democrats, a
17position he held for 12 years; he received the Harry S. Truman
18Award for outstanding volunteerism; he and his wife, Cherryl,
19spent countless hours opening their home to their community to
20welcome new candidates, gather signatures, organize
21volunteers, support law enforcement and community safety
22initiatives, and help neighbors through food drives and

 

 

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1charitable collections; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Carl Strathmann loved the music of the Eagles and
3Jimmy Buffett as well as travel, trains, tools, and tinkering,
4and he learned how to fix a variety of things while sharing his
5skills with others; he enjoyed riding his Can Am with
6motorcycle enthusiasts Cherryl, Pam, and Deb; his favorite
7trips included spending time at various Maker Faires in
8Illinois and California with Matt, Steve, Eric, Alex, Claud,
9and their families; he and his wife enjoyed supporting the
10theater with friends and spending time on the lakes of
11Wisconsin; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Carl Strathmann will be remembered for his
13kindness, wisdom, sense of humor, loyalty to loved ones, and
14entertaining stories; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Carl Strathmann was preceded in death by his
16parents; his brother, Jerome Strathmann; and his
17brother-in-law, Elmer Scheuerman; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Carl Strathmann is survived by his wife, Cherryl;
19his children, Dawn (Matt) Janecek, Steve (Cecilia) Strathmann,
20and Eric (Katy) Strathmann; his bonus children, Rebeca (Matt)
21Mead and Matt (Rebecca) Fritz; 11 grandchildren, with one more
22on the way; his sister, Judy Scheuerman; and many dear

 

 

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1friends, neighbors, and fellow storytellers; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we mourn the passing of Carl William Strathmann and extend our
5sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
6and loved him; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to the family of Carl Strathmann as an expression of
9our deepest sympathy.