SR0760 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0760 LRB093 24188 HSS 54384 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with sadness of the death of Robert J. Raymond of Naperville and Columbus, Mississippi, on Saturday, November 20, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Raymond was born on September 13, 1913, in Chicago, where he grew up; he graduated from Leo High School; he later graduated from St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa; he married Mae Roche in 1938; and

WHEREAS, He moved to Naperville in 1941; after originally working as a sales representative for Celotex Corp., he started his own lumber yard, Raymond Lumber Co.; he helped fuel Naperville's growth from small town to booming suburb by selling the wood that helped build many of the homes that began springing up there in the 1950s and 1960s; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Raymond served a 28-year tenure on the DuPage County Board, where he was instrumental in adding thousands of acres to forest preserves in DuPage County and in the conversion of Edward Hospital from sanitarium to hospital; his efforts also helped pave Naperville roads and secure street signs as the city developed in its infancy; he served as chairman of the committee overseeing the County Highway Department from 1967 to 1980 and president of the Operations Committee of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County; in 1997, Raymond Drive was named to honor his work with the DuPage County Highway Department; and

WHEREAS, He was known for his philanthropy, especially as the founding father of the Naperville United Way in 1951; he was the oldest member of the Naperville Noon Rotary, which he had served as president in 1947, and his love of horses drove him to be a charter member of the Naperville Saddle Club; he was a member of SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church; he had been active in his district Republican organization and served as committeeman; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Raymond also owned a ranch in Columbus, Mississippi, where he raised cattle, quarterhorses, and Tennessee walking horses; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Robert J. Raymond has been deeply felt by many, especially his wife of 66 years, Mae (Roche); his children, Dolores (Michael) Marusha, Marilynn (Joseph) Vannucci, Barbara (Thomas) Jansz, James Raymond, and Robert Raymond Jr.; his grandchildren, Nancy Creel, Sue Bentlage, Mary Pat Martin, Katie and Molly Vannucci, and James Raymond Jr.; and his seven great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Robert J. Raymond, and we 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 his family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.