SR0184 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0184 LRB094 12118 CSA 45844 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Joan B. Coogan of Olympia Fields passed away on April 19, 2005; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Coogan (nee Cyphers) had a passion for writing while growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; while attending high school, she penned stories for the high school newspaper and became its editor; as an adult, while raising her family in Olympia Fields, she volunteered to be a publicist for suburban community organizations and worked as a freelance writer; her fondness for the spoken word served her well as she sought support and donations for the social service agencies she helped found and fervently believed in; and

WHEREAS, During the late 1960s, she did volunteer work with the Urban Gateways Summer Day camp at Temple Anshe Sholom, Olympia Fields; in this program, she taught cooking classes, recruited volunteers, and served as publicity chairman; her older children served as camp counselors; her next volunteer assignment was with the East Chicago Heights Head Start program in which she was able to involve her children as junior volunteers on school-free days; and

WHEREAS, In 1969, she helped launch Respond Now, a Chicago Heights-based agency that provides emergency help to needy families in the south suburbs of Chicago; she was on its board for more than two decades; and

WHEREAS, Although she worked on several projects for Respond Now in 1969, Mrs. Coogan scored a major success with a "Christmas Store", an idea she developed to serve needy families in a more dignified way than the traditional Christmas basket; families who shopped at the store purchased items as well as food for a fraction of the retail value, sparing them the embarrassment of receiving charity and giving the pleasure of Christmas shopping at nominal prices; and

WHEREAS, Ten years later, she became a founding board member of Hospice Suburban South and served for a number of years as its executive director; it has since evolved into a regional office of Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the North Shore; and

WHEREAS, She wrote more than fifty feature articles for the south suburban Star Newspapers; she also wrote a semi-monthly consumer interest column, Stone Soup, for five years for the same newspaper; her column was a reader favorite because she wrote about consumer issues with a sense of humor; and

WHEREAS, She never doubted she could accomplish what she wanted to do; she will be remembered as a delightful person with a great sense of humor who was down to earth and very practical; she was a great organizer and had an ability to move others to action; she was also very outgoing, friendly, and always open and concerned about people; and

WHEREAS, Although she will be deeply missed by those who knew and admired her, her legacy of achievement will serve as an enduring reminder of her selflessness, and she will undoubtedly be remembered with much respect and affection for many years to come; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Coogan is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, John; her sons, John, Michael, James, Dennis, and Thomas; her daughters, Joan and Mary; her sister, Marilyn Ryan; and her 15 grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we extend our sincerest condolences to the members of her family and to all those who mourn the passing of Joan B. Coogan; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to her family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.