SR0986 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0986 LRB099 14307 GRL 38392 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Clara Kathryn Otto of Danvers, who passed away on July 29, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Clara Otto was born on August 6, 1924 in rural Danvers; her parents were Robert Quillian "Quilly" and Mamie Coiner Altare Bostic; she married Loren Otto on October 12, 1944 at the Carlock Mennonite Church parsonage; and

WHEREAS, Clara Otto was a 1942 graduate of Danvers High School; she began working at State Farm in the life department on December 7, 1942; she was later employed as a defense worker at Eureka Williams; after marrying, she joined her husband in Alexandria, Louisiana, where she passed the federal civil service exam and became a switchboard operator on the military base where he was a staff sergeant in the Army Air Corps and taught engineering and gunnery; after the war, she farmed with her husband in Lexington and then in Danvers, where they lived on a centennial farm; in 1962, she began working at Country Companies Insurance, where she retired after over 17 years of service in May of 1980; and

WHEREAS, Clara Otto was very active in the Danvers-Carlock community; she was a long-time member of the Carlock Mennonite Church, the Dry Grove Home Extension, the Danvers PTA, and the Danvers Alumni Association; she and her husband were active in the Bloomington Elks Lodge for many years; an accomplished bowler, she enjoyed being in various local leagues and was a member of the Country Companies' team that won a national bowling championship in the 1969 National Industrial Recreation Association tournament at Crawfordsville, Indiana; she was also passionate about the game of golf and was a former member of the El Paso Golf Club at Kappa; and

WHEREAS, Following her retirement, Clara Otto and several of her friends formed a group known as The Bag Ladies who played weekly at Hazy Hills Golf Course and other area golfing venues; her enthusiasm for sports included any athletic activity in which her grandchildren were involved as well as being an avid fan of both NASCAR and the New York Yankees; she believed there was nothing more important than spending time with her family and friends; she also enjoyed traveling and spending time in her tree and flower-filled yard; and

WHEREAS, Clara Otto was preceded in death by her husband, Loren; her parents; her sister, Gladys Troxel; and her brother, Jim Bostic; and

WHEREAS, Clara Otto is survived by her sons, Gregory Loren (Karen) Otto and Stanley Alan Otto; 2 grandchildren, Ryan Loren (Laura) Otto and Blake (Danielle) Otto; her great-grandchildren, Nathanael, Natalie, Ava, Luke, Emmerson, and Ethan Otto; her sister, Opal Stahly; and her many nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with her family and friends, mourn the passing of Clara Kathryn Otto; and be it further

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