SR0253 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0253 LRB097 12101 KXB 56002 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Blanche Spann Cohnen of Springfield, who passed away on May 18, 2011; and

WHEREAS, She was born April 24, 1925 in Darlington, South Carolina, to Rufus and Rosa (Garner) Spann; she married her "soldier boy" LeRoy Martin Cohnen on December 19, 1945; and

WHEREAS, She was a member of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Springfield; she retired from the State of Illinois Department of Transportation; she was a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority where she spent almost 50 years with her beloved "sorority sisters"; she looked forward to playing cards with her sorority sisters and never missed the annual Sorority Pizza and Pie fundraisers; and

WHEREAS, She always mentioned how blessed she was to have traveled to Hawaii and Germany with her late husband; she loved to listen to music by Barry Manilow, enjoyed being outside in her yard with all her plants, flowers, and her poodle, "Buttons"; she was an avid scrap-booker; and

WHEREAS, She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; and her sisters and their husbands, Louise (Bob) McCauley and Ruth (Richard) Cathcart; and

WHEREAS, Blanche Cohnen is survived by her daughters, Sandra (husband, Richard) Stoye and Bonnie Garner (husband, Bob Hickman); her grandchildren, Bobby Stoye, Kellee (Todd) Sporrer, and Kristen (Christopher) DeBenedetto; her great-grandchildren, Richard Cody, Justin Tyler Stoye, and Cayden Matthew Sporrer, and expected fourth great grandchild, Jack DeBenedetto; her brother-in-law, Melvin Cohnen; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins; therefore, be it

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

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Blanche Cohnen as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.