| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
| 3 | to learn of the death of Elaine Evelyn Birtch, who passed away | ||||||
| 4 | on February 15, 2026; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Elaine Birtch was born to Hugo W. Gade and Evelyn | ||||||
| 6 | Jagow Gade in Niagara Falls, New York on April 6, 1932; she and | ||||||
| 7 | her family moved to La Porte, Indiana in 1947; she graduated | ||||||
| 8 | from La Porte High School in 1949 and from Concordia Teachers | ||||||
| 9 | College in 1953; she married Dr. Alan G. Birtch at St. John's | ||||||
| 10 | Lutheran Church in La Porte, Indiana on August 22, 1954, and | ||||||
| 11 | the couple lived in Baltimore, Maryland and Boston, | ||||||
| 12 | Massachusetts before moving to Springfield; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Elaine Birtch taught at Lutheran schools in | ||||||
| 14 | Winston-Salem, Baltimore and in the Brookline, Massachusetts | ||||||
| 15 | public school system; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, Elaine Birtch served as a Stephen Minister and | ||||||
| 17 | was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church; she was also a | ||||||
| 18 | member of the Anti-Rust Club, PEO, Questers, and Bible study; | ||||||
| 19 | and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Elaine Birtch's love of the arts and her Lutheran | ||||||
| 21 | heritage were evident in her involvement in writing grants for | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | visiting artists at Lutheran schools, helping create the Fine | ||||||
| 2 | Arts Fair and Liturgical Art Fair for the Art Association, and | ||||||
| 3 | hosting, writing, and interviewing local and renowned artists | ||||||
| 4 | for a local television show called Art Beat; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Elaine loved traveling with her husband and | ||||||
| 6 | family; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, Elaine Birtch was preceded in death by her | ||||||
| 8 | husband, Alan; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, Elaine Birtch is survived by her children, Grant | ||||||
| 10 | (Susan) Birtch, Eric (Joanne) Birtch, Mark (Susan) Birtch, and | ||||||
| 11 | Jane (Oleg) Vatchev; ten grandchildren; two | ||||||
| 12 | great-grandchildren; her sister-in-law, Mary Gade; three | ||||||
| 13 | nephews; her aunt, Marilyn Winter; her friend and neighbor, | ||||||
| 14 | Nancy Segatto; and her friend and caretaker, Gayla Cheffey; | ||||||
| 15 | therefore, be it | ||||||
| 16 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 17 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
| 18 | Elaine Evelyn Birtch and extend our sincere condolences to her | ||||||
| 19 | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
| 20 | further | ||||||
| 21 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | presented to the family of Elaine Birtch as an expression of | ||||||
| 2 | our deepest sympathy. | ||||||