HR0876 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0876 LRB104 21575 MST 37007 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former Illinois State Representative Rosemary Magner Kurtz of Crystal Lake, who passed away on April 1, 2026; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz was born to Walter and Florence Magner on August 11, 1930; after her mother's passing, her stepmother, Lauretta Rowe, joined the family and became instrumental in her development; she was a student government leader at the University of Oklahoma, received her master's degree from Kansas University, and did PhD work at the University of Iowa; during the 1960s in Davenport, Iowa, she marched and protested the Vietnam War, worked with other parents to set up a multi-racial summer camp, and helped elect the first woman mayor; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz was a high school and college Spanish teacher for decades and taught English to migrant workers in the 1970s; she finished her teaching career at District 155; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz was president of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters; she served on the Crystal Lake Zoning Board from the 1970s through the 1990s, focusing on protection of the Crystal Lake watershed; her first elected position was treasurer of Crystal Lake; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives at the age of 70, where she cast the deciding vote for a landmark anti-discrimination law, challenged unnecessary spending, brought back millions of State dollars to improve McHenry County school systems, and maintained a perfect pro-environment voting record; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz was elected to District 155 School Board at the age of 85; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz was a parishioner of St. Thomas and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton churches for 55 years; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz was preceded in death by her husband, Jim Kurtz; her father, Walter Magner; her stepmother, Lauretta Rowe Magner; her mother, Florence Harrington Magner; her brother, Bill Magner; and her sister-in-law, Rita; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Kurtz is survived by her daughters, Jennifer (Tom) Kurtz Crooks, Donna Kurtz (Paul Minkus), and Tamara Kurtz; her grandchildren, Jim (Tracy) Crooks, Caitlin Crooks (Bea Ronan), Alison Crooks (Elijah Smith), and Tavi Minkus; her great-grandchildren, Mckenzie Rose Crooks and Rosemary Ann Smith; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of former Illinois State Representative Rosemary Magner Kurtz 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 Rep. Kurtz as a symbol of our deepest sympathy.