HR0823 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0823 LRB093 21841 HSS 49785 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate the Hitzeman Funeral Home Ltd. on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The Hitzeman Funeral Home Ltd. has been serving the residents of Chicago and the western suburbs with care, compassion, and consideration since 1904; the Hitzeman name is known throughout the Chicagoland community, not only for its reputation of dignified service to people in grieving times, but also for its community service and dedication to others; the Hitzeman family is involved with area churches and schools as well as the Brookfield Chamber of Commerce and the Brookfield/LaGrange Park Lions Club; and

WHEREAS, Frederick H. Hitzeman came to the United States from Germany as a child in 1882; in 1894, he married Pauline Pechat, and in 1904, he started the Undertaking Business at Keeler and 26th Street in Chicago; he used his home as his chapel and horses and carriages were used for the funerals; in 1916, when they began using automobiles, Charles R. Hitzeman, the third child of Pauline and Frederick, drove the hearse; Charles became a partner in the business in 1928; and

WHEREAS, In 1945, Frederick received the deed for the property in Brookfield that currently houses the business; in 1963, Norbert Hitzeman, the third generation to own the business, opened the Hitzeman Funeral Home location in Brookfield; for the next 13 years, the business maintained two locations; in 1976, the location on 26th Street was sold; and

WHEREAS, In the fall of 1984, Norbert Hitzeman purchased Hitzeman Funeral Home, P.C., from his father; in 1992, the name of the business was changed to Hitzeman Funeral Home, Ltd., as it was now a limited corporation; on September 18, 1995, Todd Hitzeman bought the business from Norbert Hitzeman, making him the fourth generation of Hitzemans to run the business; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, Charles T. "Chuck" Hitzeman graduated from the Worsham School of Mortuary Science in Wheeling, becoming the fifth generation of funeral directors in the Hitzeman family; in addition, he's the fifth generation of Lions Club members and was recently elected president of the Brookfield/LaGrange Park Lions Club; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Hitzeman Funeral Home, Ltd. of Brookfield on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Hitzeman Funeral Home, Ltd. as an expression of our respect and esteem.