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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Mason R. | ||||||
| 4 | Absher of Marion, who passed away on September 9, 2009; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Mason, one of nine children, was born August 20, | ||||||
| 6 | 1919, in Marion, to John R. and Kate (Beers) Absher; on July | ||||||
| 7 | 25, 1941, he married Imogene (Fairchild) Absher; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, He served his country honorably during World War | ||||||
| 9 | II for more than four and a half years; prior to being drafted | ||||||
| 10 | into the United States Army, he taught at "Center", a one-room | ||||||
| 11 | country school in Williamson County near Corinth; upon his | ||||||
| 12 | discharge from the Army, he resumed his teaching career in | ||||||
| 13 | Energy and served as school principal until 1948, when he left | ||||||
| 14 | the field of education; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, He founded Absher Motor Sales in 1947 and later | ||||||
| 16 | was awarded the Nash and Rambler franchise and later expanded | ||||||
| 17 | into other franchise lines; he and his wife were active in | ||||||
| 18 | retail automobile business until their retirements in 1984; | ||||||
| 19 | their love for the business was passed on to their son and | ||||||
| 20 | their grandsons; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Mason was a lifetime member of Fellowship Lodge 89 | ||||||
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| 1 | Masonic Lodge, a Shriner of Ainad Shrine Temple, a member of | ||||||
| 2 | New Hope Church in Marion, and a charter member of the Marion | ||||||
| 3 | Kiwanis Club; he was awarded the coveted "Lifetime Achievement | ||||||
| 4 | Award" by the Marion Chamber of Commerce in 1998; he served on | ||||||
| 5 | the Marion Chamber of Commerce board of directors from 1982 to | ||||||
| 6 | 1984; he also served on the board of directors of the Bank of | ||||||
| 7 | Egypt for many years and later served on the Banterra Bank | ||||||
| 8 | Board; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, He will be remembered for his ability to remember | ||||||
| 10 | birthdays; he took great pleasure in contacting people on their | ||||||
| 11 | birthdays and bringing them delight on their special days; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his mother and father; | ||||||
| 13 | his brothers, Leslie, Clarence, Charlie, and Maurice; and his | ||||||
| 14 | sisters, Vivian Absher and Lavina Siedler; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, He is survived by his wife, Imogene Absher; his | ||||||
| 16 | son, Bill Absher and wife, Sandy; his daughter, Betty Jean | ||||||
| 17 | Bowles and husband, Ed; his grandsons, David Arnold and wife, | ||||||
| 18 | Kim, Michael Absher and wife, Cheryl, and Colonel Kevin Fox of | ||||||
| 19 | the United States Air Force and his wife, Linda; his | ||||||
| 20 | great-grandchildren, Jessica Arnold, Jarrod Arnold, Jordan | ||||||
| 21 | Arnold, Cole Absher, Reed Absher, and Will Absher; his | ||||||
| 22 | brothers, Orie Absher and David Absher; his many nieces and | ||||||
| 23 | nephews; and his longtime close friend, Earl Parks; therefore, | ||||||
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| 1 | be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 3 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 4 | mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Mason | ||||||
| 5 | Absher; and be it further
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| 6 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 7 | presented to the family of Mason Absher as a symbol of our | ||||||
| 8 | sincere sympathy.
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