SR0421 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0421 LRB097 14594 KXB 59453 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Leo J. "Bear" Sullivan III of Gurnee, who passed away on October 23, 2011; and

WHEREAS, He was born on August 16, 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri; he graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1952, and recently attended his graduating class's 50th reunion; while attending St. Louis University, he clerked for two separate Police Magistrates in East St. Louis; he graduated from St. Louis University Law School in 1958 with a J.D. degree and was admitted to the Illinois and Missouri Bars the same year; the same year he joined the United States Navy and was commissioned in 1959 after completing OCS in Newport, Rhode Island; and

WHEREAS, His first assignment as a Legal Officer was to the USNS Kodiak, Alaska where he served as the legal officer to that command and others; in September of 1960 he was transferred to the Administrative Command at Great Lakes, where he was in charge of the Courts Martial Unit and later acted as the Appellate Review Officer; in late 1960 he worked part time, nights, and weekends, for Snyder, Clarke, Dalziel, Holmquist and Johnson in Waukegan; upon his release from active duty in March of 1962, he became a member of the firm, and in 1967 he was made a partner; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1962 he married Theresa "Terry" who passed away in 1999; and

WHEREAS, In 1968, he left the firm and started his own practice in Waukegan; it grew and was known as Sullivan, Smith, Hauser & Noonan Ltd; he became "of counsel" to the firm in 2001; during his practice he tried and argued cases at all levels of the Illinois Court system as well as in federal court and had the privilege of arguing a case before the U. S. Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, In 1984 and 1985, he was the President of the Lake County Bar Association; he served 2 terms as a member of the Assembly of the Illinois State Bar Association; he was a past Chairman of the Board of the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, a leading malpractice insurer of Illinois lawyers founded by the Illinois State Bar Association, and co-chairman of the Claims Committee; and

WHEREAS, He lived with his wife Marilynn in Gurnee, where he had been a resident for over 45 years; when time permitted they spent time at their home near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; they enjoyed traveling and cruising when not spending time with the family; he was proud to have been a founding member and the president of the first Montessori School in Waukegan, the president of the Immaculate Conception Parish Men's club, past president and board member of the Abbey Springs Yacht Club of Fontana, Wisconsin, and other community endeavors; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Marie and Leo (Bud) Sullivan; as well as his brothers, Richard, Carl, Leo, and Harry; and

WHEREAS, He will be truly missed by his wife, Marilynn; his sons, Leo IV, Mike, Terrence, Sean, and Kevin; his daughter-in-law, Lisa; his granddaughter, Britney; and his full-time caretaker, Carlos; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Leo Sullivan; and be it further

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