HR0318LRB103 32636 LAW 62291 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to recognize the Momence Fire Protection
4District's naming of its firehouse in honor of the late former
5Fire Chief James "Jim" LaMotte; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte was born to Robert and Ethel LaMotte
7in Kankakee on October 23, 1940; he married Marlene D. Grimes
8in Momence on August 4, 1962, and they had three daughters; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte became a volunteer firefighter in
101958, serving on the Momence Fire Protection District for over
1150 years; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte courageously served as fire chief of
13the Momence Fire Protection District for 21 years, and he
14served as a sitting member and president of the board of
15trustees; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte's impact on the Kankakee County
17region is indelible, as he served on the committee to
18establish 911 in Kankakee and the Kankakee County Emergency
19Telephone System Board from 1989 to 2021, serving as chairman
20on the latter for 27 years; and
 

 

 

HR0318- 2 -LRB103 32636 LAW 62291 r

1    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte served as a sitting officer and
2treasurer of the Illinois Firefighter Memorial Foundation and
3the State Firefighter Medal of Honor Committee; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In addition to his service in first response, Jim
5LaMotte spent many years engaged with his community, serving
6as president of the Hundred Club of Kankakee County, past vice
7chairman of the Kankakee County Board, and board member of
8Drug Free, Inc.; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte also volunteered at Good Shepherd
10Manor in Momence from its very beginning in 1971, and he served
11as chairman of the board of directors for 22 years; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte's service was recognized many times,
13being named the 1999 Momence Citizen of the Year and having
14received the 2015 Momence Chamber of Commerce Lifetime
15Achievement Award, the 2018 Joe Gianotti President Award from
16the Hundred Club of Kankakee County, and the 2021 Kankakee
17911/ETSB Years of Service Award; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte was further honored when the Kankakee
19County Board proclaimed October 2021 as Jim LaMotte Month; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte was a lifetime parishioner of St.
21Patrick Church in Momence, where he also served on the

 

 

HR0318- 3 -LRB103 32636 LAW 62291 r

1cemetery board and finance council; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte passed away in February 2022, and he
3was preceded in death by his wife in 2018; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Jim LaMotte left behind a legacy in his public
5service and through his daughters, Lori (Don) Henry, Sandy
6(Bob) Malpasuto, and Jackie (Bill) Haas, his grandchildren,
7Jill (Justin) Licke, Ashley (Erik) Michener, Aryn (Jeff)
8Whiting, Jack Malpasuto, Mike (Rachel) Malpasuto, Nicole Haas,
9and Ben Haas, and his sister-in-law, Patricia LaMotte; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Momence Fire Protection District has
11announced it will be naming its firehouse in honor of the late
12former Fire Chief James "Jim" LaMotte for his lifetime of
13service to and the profound impact he had on his communities;
14therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
17we recognize the Momence Fire Protection District's naming of
18its firehouse in honor of the late former Fire Chief James
19"Jim" LaMotte, a dedication to a true community leader of
20Kankakee County and the State of Illinois who gave his gifts
21and time to the people and communities he loved; and be it
22further
 

 

 

HR0318- 4 -LRB103 32636 LAW 62291 r

1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2presented to Momence Fire Protection District Fire Chief James
3Spoon and the LaMotte family as an expression of our esteem and
4respect.