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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
3learn of the death of John Richard Steele, who passed away on 
4February 15, 2016; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, John Steele was born on April 30, 1926 in 
6Waukegan; and
  
 
7    WHEREAS, John Steele was descended from a long line of 
8entrepreneurs that can be traced back to the founding of 
9Hartford, Connecticut and further back to Sussex, England; and
  
 
10    WHEREAS, John Steele lived most of his life in Waukegan as 
11a banker in the family business, The First National Bank of 
12Waukegan, which was established in 1852; and
 
13    WHEREAS, John Steele's passion was scuba diving on sunken 
14shipwrecks in the Great Lakes; he is credited with finding and 
15diving on 40 "virgin" shipwrecks and some of those dives are 
16documented on film he took himself; he also donated countless 
17maritime artifacts to museums and historical societies, 
18including the Smithsonian Institution; and
  
 
19    WHEREAS, John Steele was preceded in death by his first 
20wife, Berta Feltes, and his second wife, Dorothy Catlin; and
  
 
 
 
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1    WHEREAS, John Steele is survived by his children, Joan 
2(Robert) VanLieshout, Andrea Soderquist, Joan VanLieshout, 
3John N. Steele, and Roberta Steele; and many grandchildren and 
4great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
  
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL 
6ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his 
7family and friends, mourn the passing of John Richard Steele; 
8and be it further
  
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
10presented to the family of John Steele as an expression of our 
11sympathy.