SR0660 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0660 LRB099 12774 MST 36582 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Eugene E. "Gene" Gaffner of Greenville, who passed away on May 28, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Gene Gaffner was born in Bond County on February 8, 1927 to Emil and Edna (nee Stiegman) Gaffner; he lived in Clinton County and attended Lutheran Grade School in Ferrin; he moved with his family to Bond County and graduated from Pocahontas High School in 1945; following high school, he attended Greenville College, where he received an Emergency Teaching Certificate issued during World War II; and

WHEREAS, Gene Gaffner taught for one year at the Metcalf one-room school in Bond County; after teaching, he worked on farms, at Pet Milk in Greenville, and at the Alton Box Company in Highland; he married Shirley Young on June 27, 1948 in Highland; and

WHEREAS, In 1951, Gene Gaffner joined the Bond County Service Company in Greenville, now known as South Central FS; he was an agricultural products salesman supplying livestock feed, seed, fertilizer, chemicals, farm buildings, and grain handling systems, retiring in 1992; for many of the years with the Bond County Service Company, he owned the trucks and equipment needed to service the farming community and was responsible for hiring and supervising employees who delivered and applied the products; for a number of years in his retirement, he recruited and coordinated the volunteers who staffed the Bond County Fair entrance gates; and

WHEREAS, Gene Gaffner was a member of the Greenville Regional Hospital Auxiliary, making wire frames for homemade wreaths sold at the Holiday Bazaar and assisting with the homemade apple butter project; he was also a Greenville Regional Hospital Health Fair volunteer; and

WHEREAS, Gene Gaffner was a long-time and active member of the Greenville First United Methodist Church, where he served on the Administrative Board and annually assisted with the preparation of Thanksgiving food baskets distributed to community residents; he enjoyed spending time with his family, travelling, and spending winter months in Florida; as a young adult, he played on men's travelling baseball teams; he was an avid St. Louis Cardinals' baseball fan and participated in a Cardinal try-out camp, remaining at the try-out camp until the final cuts; and

WHEREAS, Gene Gaffner is survived by his wife of 66 years, Shirley; and his 3 children, Alan (Lori) Gaffner, Renea (Ed) Barnes, and Arlin (Marla Wade) Gaffner; he was the loving grandfather of 8, Ben Gaffner, Emily Gaffner, Hannah Gaffner, Lindsay (Seth) Strotheide, Jarett Barnes, Matt (Rachel) Gaffner, Amy (Chad) McDonald, and Tommy (Sarah) Gaffner; and the great-grandfather of 3, Raelee Strotheide, Henry Gaffner, and Cooper McDonald; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Eugene E. "Gene" Gaffner, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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