HJ0133 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0133 LRB094 21096 MST 59424 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois were deeply saddened to learn of the death in Iraq of Petty Officer 1st Class Jerry Allen Tharp of Aledo on Wednesday, July 12, 2006; and

WHEREAS, He was born on August 14, 1961, in Muscatine, Iowa, to Lyle H. and Donna L. (Matthews) Tharp; after being together for 16 years, he was united in marriage to Gayle (Christie) Pritchett on December 31, 2005; and

WHEREAS, He was an operating engineer out of Local 150; he worked the last six years for Williams Brothers Construction in Peoria; he was deployed to Iraq in January of 2006; and

WHEREAS, He had more than 18 years in the military; he enlisted in the Army in 1978; he also served in both the Army Reserves and Navy Reserves; he was in Iraq with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 25 out of Rock Island; and

WHEREAS, He was promoted on June 16 to Builder First Class Petty Officer (Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist); he received the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; he was proud to serve his country and proud of his military career; he served in the military to keep people safe, especially his family, to whom he is a hero; and

WHEREAS, He had many interests; he enjoyed going to the cabin, hunting, fishing, camping, and scuba diving; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Jerry Allen Tharp has been deeply felt by many, especially by his wife, Gayle Tharp; his stepdaughters, Carrie (Joey) Ham and Heather Pritchett (Jay Townsend); his step grandchildren, Tristan Ham, Parker Townsend, Trace Ham, and Paige Townsend; his mother, Donna Tharp; his sisters, Linda (Dan) Artus and Karen Louck (Mike Grissom); his brothers, Lyle "Ed" (Julie) Tharp, Rick (Gillian) Tharp, and John (Cathy) Tharp; and several nieces and nephews; he was preceded in death by his father, Lyle Tharp, and his grandparents, Kenneth and Eva Tharp; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn the passing of Petty Officer 1st Class Jerry Allen Tharp, and we extend our deepest sympathy to this family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of Petty Officer 1st Class Tharp and his willingness to serve our country, which led to him making the ultimate sacrifice; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to his family as an expression of our sincerest condolences.