SR0938 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0938 LRB096 23636 KXB 43015 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Albert Joseph DeVon Sr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, brother, uncle, "Papa", and "Big Al" to family and friends, who passed away on September 6, 2010; and

WHEREAS, He was born in 1921, in Westville, the second of three children of Mary and Albert (Hap) DeVon; he grew up during the Depression and was the son of a coal miner, so he learned at a young age to be industrious and to make his own luck; and

WHEREAS, While working several different odd-jobs, through sheer determination and dogged persistence, he was hired by Illinois Bell Telephone Company as a service engineer, a position he held for only a short while before moving up through the ranks; after 32 years, he retired from Illinois Bell as District Commercial Manager in Arlington Heights; and

WHEREAS, He was also a well-known community leader, serving as president of the North Lake County Community Chest (Waukegan) and president of the Kiwanis (Waukegan and Arlington Heights); he grew up in Springfield, where he met and married the first love of his life, Virginia (Collins) DeVon in 1942; they had four children during which time his career took the family from Springfield to Waukegan; and

WHEREAS, Following the untimely death of his first wife in 1971, and after his retirement from Illinois Bell, he met and married the second love of his life, Dorothy (Divers) DeVon in 1986; together, he and his wife lived a short time in Hamilton, Ohio, before moving to Ormond Beach, Florida, where they had a beautiful home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean; and

WHEREAS, After the passing of his second wife in 2003, he stayed in Ormond Beach, living independently, where he had many dear friends, before moving to Libertyville in 2010 to be closer to his family; and

WHEREAS, Albert DeVon was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Corps from June, 1943 to December, 1945; he served in the CBI (China, Burma, India) "Theater of War" as an Aerial Engineer; he was awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal; and

WHEREAS, Albert DeVon Sr. will be greatly missed by his four children, stepson, and their spouses, Beverly (Gus) Petropolous, Albert (Holli) DeVon, Richard (Alicia) DeVon, Lynn (Jackie) DeVon, and Tom (Rickie) Divers; his brother, Jimmy DeVon; his sister, Marietta Kirkwood; his nieces, Margene, Judy, and Phyllis; his nephew, Jim Jr.; his six grandchildren, Kim, Tommy, Sophia, Erica, Paul, and Philip; his great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, Noah, Zaccur, Angelique, Rick, Stacy, Jordie, Kelly, Kyle, Dino, Alyssa, Ashley, Josalyn, Jaalen, and Janai; and his many dear family and friends from Springfield, including his sister-in-law, Wanda Soyers and her family; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Albert DeVon Sr.; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Albert DeVon Sr. as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.