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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Jean Alice Handke, who passed away on
4January 11, 2016; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Jean Handke was born in Chicago to James and Ruth
6(nee Williams) Faulkner on November 24, 1923 and resided there
7until the family moved to Wheaton; she graduated from Wheaton
8High School in 1941 and continued her education at Western
9Illinois University in Macomb, where she received her
10bachelor's degree in education in 1946; she married James
11Handke on July 31, 1949; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Jean Handke began her teaching career in San Jose,
13Illinois, where she taught commercial subjects at San Jose High
14School for 4 years; her career as an educator spanned over 35
15years in Crystal Lake, starting with 4 years of substitute
16teaching at 10 different schools; she found a permanent home in
171964 at Central School (now Hussman Elementary), where she
18taught 4th grade; during this period, she returned to school at
19Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and received her
20master's degree in outdoor education in 1973; for 13 years, she
21was Outdoor Education Director for School District 47; she
22hosted many overnight stays at the Veteran Acres Nature Center
23and utilized the resident program at George Williams College in

 

 

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1Williams Bay, Wisconsin; after a brief return to North School
2to teach 4th grade, she retired from teaching in 1988; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Jean Handke was active in various community
4groups; she spent many years volunteering with the Girl Scouts
5and Cub Scouts; she was also a member of the American Legion
6Auxiliary and volunteered at Sherman Hospital, the Food Pantry,
7Meals On Wheels, and Helping Paws; she was a long-time member
8of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake; she served as a
9Sunday school teacher for 15 years and served on the Altar
10Guild and volunteered at PADS; after retiring, she began
11traveling, visiting 49 of the 50 states, along with travels to
12Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean; an avid camper since
13childhood, she and her husband had many camping adventures with
14their children; they continued camping into retirement,
15acquiring ever larger trailers until they found their "little
16house", a 35-foot, 5th-wheeler that they enjoyed full time; and
 
17    WHEREAS, In 2006, Jean Handke and her husband retired at
18Hearthstone Village; she enjoyed running the "store" at
19Hearthstone Village twice a week and kept the Hearthstone
20library organized and always filled with new books; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Jean Handke was preceded in death by her adoring
22husband of 65 years, James Handke; her parents, James and Ruth
23Faulkner; and her sister, Ruth Ottoson; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Jean Handke is survived by her daughter, Bev
2(Rich) Hodges; her son, Cary (Linda Roth) Handke; her daughter,
3Jan Handke; her 3 grandsons, Jason (Kerry) Hodges, Nathan
4(Kelly) Hodges, and Louis Handke-Roth; her 5
5great-grandchildren, James, Savannah, Mae, Grady, and Kordell
6Hodges; her brother, James (Irma) Faulkner; her
7brother-in-law, Raymond Renken; and many nieces and nephews
8across the country; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
11Jean Alice Handke, and extend our sincere condolences to her
12family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the family of Jean Handke as an expression of our
16deepest sympathy.