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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of William Raymond "Bill" Prather of
4Chillicothe, who passed away on April 20, 2015; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bill Prather was born in Peoria on July 1, 1932 to
6Claude Raymond and Helen (nee Burkey) Prather; he attended
7school in Chillicothe; he married Gloria Haddad on December 31,
81954; he later married Evelyn Morris on October 1, 1976; and
 
9    WHEREAS, For several years, Bill Prather was a truck driver
10for Nerad Oil, Sinclair, Texaco, and Brewers Distributing;
11later he owned and operated U-Lok Storage and Bee-J Amusements;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, Bill Prather's true passion was in politics and he
14spent most of his life in public service; he served the
15community of Chillicothe for more than 40 years; he served as
16the Chillicothe Township Road Commissioner for 38 1/2 years;
17since 2010, he served as a Chillicothe Township Trustee; he
18served as President, past President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd
19Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Director of the
20Township Officials of Illinois over the years, beginning in
211982; since 1970, he served as Democrat Precinct Committeeman
22for Chillicothe Precinct 7; he also was the Chairman of the

 

 

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1Peoria County Democratic Central Committee for 16 years,
2beginning in 1992; he served on the Peoria County Board for
3more than 34 years, representing Districts 1, 13, and 15, and
4he served as Chairman from 2007 to 2008; upon his retirement
5from the County Board, State Rep. David Leitch presented him
6with a proclamation for his years of service to the county; the
7County Board thereafter appointed him as a Trustee for the
8Greater Chillicothe Sanitary District; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Bill Prather co-founded Ambulance Rescue 33, an
10originally all-volunteer ambulance service, and was a charter
11member of the Chillicothe Claud-Elen Days, which he and his
12parents created to support Ambulance Rescue 33; Claud-Elen Days
13is now in its 49th year and has grown to assist many other
14local organizations; since 1969, he worked for Shriners
15Hospitals for Crippled Children and was a permanent
16contributing member; he was a Noble of the Mystic Shrine in the
17Mohammed Temple of Peoria and was a member of the 100 Million
18Dollar Club; he was a member of numerous other clubs and
19organizations, including the Hanna City Sportsman's Club, the
20El Hajj Peoria Caravanserai No. 6, Chillicothe Jaycees, the
21Peoria Casting Club, the St. Patrick Society, the Chillicothe
22Twin City REACT Team, and the United States Chamber of
23Commerce; and
 
24    WHEREAS, Throughout his years in public service, Bill

 

 

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1Prather received numerous awards and achievements; he received
22 Peoria County Township Highway Commissioner Appreciation
3awards; he was chosen as the Chillicothe Rotary Club Citizen of
4the Year in 1979 and received the Outstanding Service to the
5Taxpayers of Peoria County Award 4 times, in 1982, 1984, 1988,
6and 1998; in 1982, he earned the Vice-Chairman Reapportionment
7Committee Award for his assistance with district
8reapportionment; also in 1982, he earned the Chillicothe Area
9Chamber of Commerce Award for Outstanding Contributions to the
10Community; in 1983, he received the Citizen Participation Award
11from the Community Workshop and Training Center; in 1985, he
12received the Betty Osborne Award for his efforts in furthering
13feminist goals and ideals; in 1993, the Peoria County Fraternal
14Order of Police Lodge 157 recognized him as a "Shop with a Cop"
15sponsor; he received the Distinguished Service Award for 17
16years of service to the Highway Commissioner's Division of
17Township Officials of Illinois, from 1982 to 1999; in 2002, the
18Marty Gollnitz Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4999 presented him
19with an award for his many years of service; in 2004, he
20received the President's Award from the Township Officials of
21Illinois, the highest award given to one township official in
22the State each year; in 2007, he received the Charles C.
23Schlink Memorial Award for Good Government from the Chillicothe
24Jaycees; in 2014, he received the Award Medal of St. Paul from
25the Bishop of the Diocese of Quincy; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Bill Prather enjoyed spending time with his family
2and friends, driving along the Illinois River, traveling,
3collecting antique clocks and jukeboxes, collecting coins, and
4eating almost any "fried" food; he traveled to Washington, D.C.
5on numerous occasions and was twice invited to the White House
6by President Jimmy Carter and President George W. Bush; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Bill Prather was preceded in death by his first
8wife, Gloria; his second wife, Evelyn; his parents; and his
9sister, Patricia Wilson; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Bill Prather is survived by his daughter, Rhonda
11Prather-Tank; his 2 sons, William "Pat" Prather and Neil
12Prather; his step-son, John Morris; and his 3 grandchildren,
13Ryan Tank, Nathaniel Prather, and Nicholas Prather; therefore,
14be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
16ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
17William Raymond "Bill" Prather, and extend our sincere
18condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved
19him; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to the family of Bill Prather as an expression of our
22deepest sympathy.