HR0963 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0963 LRB104 22254 LAW 38606 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Charles Homer "Charlie" Bair III, who passed away on April 26, 2026; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Bair was born on September 2, 1942; he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati and his Master of Business Administration from Xavier; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Bair served as president and CEO of hospitals across Ohio, turning insolvencies into surpluses, merging struggling community hospitals into what became one of the most comprehensive rural health systems in the country, and developing programs in psychiatric care, rehabilitation, and chronic illness that served people who had almost nowhere else to turn; additionally, he founded one of the only successful hospital-owned health insurance companies in the United States, and his contributions were recognized with a special commendation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations Board of Governors; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Bair moved to Carthage after nearly four decades in medical administration and taught ethics at Carl Sandburg College; he also worked as a community and economic development educator through the University of Illinois Extension and served as executive director of the Western Illinois Economic Development; he opened Lilly's Frozen Yogurt & Fudge in downtown Carthage as a way to create a space of community and joy, and the project blossomed; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Bair was a curious man, genuinely interested in people and ideas; he was a great but wandering storyteller and delighted in new projects and new ideas; he made every community that he was a part of better; he will be especially remembered for his humor, his kindness, and his ability to meet people exactly where they were; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Bair is survived by his wife, Ada Bair; his sister, Barbara Heighton, and her husband, Dr. Doug Heighton, and his children and their families, Ben Bair, his wife, Evelyn, and their children, Ellie and Portia, Jon Rowe, his wife, Ina, and their children, Samantha, Jonathan, and McKenzie, Alisha Zimmerman, and her husband, Jayson Edge, and their children, Michael, Marcus, and Marisa, and Andrea Zimmerman, and her husband, Alan Van Wyk; and his great-grandchildren, Michael and Brittany; 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 Charles Homer "Charlie" Bair III 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 Charlie Bair as a symbol of deepest sympathy.