Full Text of SR0467 97th General Assembly
SR0467 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Fred E. Koehler, founder of Lynfred | 4 | | Winery, of Roselle, who passed away on July 16, 2011; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, In the 1920s, his grandfather and father made wine | 6 | | for the family and local politicians; in 1975, Fred and his | 7 | | late wife Lynn made their first batch of wine in the basement | 8 | | of their home; in 1979, what began as a hobby that got out of | 9 | | hand led to the opening of the first winery in Illinois with 7 | 10 | | varieties and 5,000 gallons of wine; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, He had to overcome many obstacles along the | 12 | | journey, like converting a residence into a commercial | 13 | | business, convincing California vineyards to ship their grapes | 14 | | 2,000 miles to Illinois, and fighting to get Illinois laws | 15 | | changed to allow more freedom in producing various varieties | 16 | | and larger quantities; in 1985, his big break came when his | 17 | | 1983 Chardonnay earned national recognition by winning 'Best of | 18 | | Class and Best of Show' against other prestigious California | 19 | | wineries in a Reno, Nevada judging; one month later, the wine | 20 | | made history by winning Double Gold at the National Restaurant | 21 | | Show in Chicago; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Former Illinois Governor Jim Thompson, the mayor |
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| 1 | | of Roselle, and State representative Kay Wojcik initiated the | 2 | | groundbreaking of the new Lynfred Winery in 1990; the new | 3 | | winery allowed Koehler's wine production to increase to almost | 4 | | 100,000 gallons a year and more than 80 varietals; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, As the winery continued to grow, Fred acquired a | 6 | | world-class winemaker from Chile to take over the winemaking so | 7 | | that he could run the business; during this time he was | 8 | | instrumental in the political workings of the emerging Illinois | 9 | | wine industry; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In 1999, he opened Tasting deVine (a Lynfred | 11 | | Winery satellite store) in Wheaton, followed by a luxurious bed | 12 | | and breakfast at the Roselle location in 2002; Tasting deVine | 13 | | Cellars was opened in Naperville in 2004; a new Lynfred Winery | 14 | | tasting room in Wheeling followed in 2008; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, He started his career in the restaurant business | 16 | | when he managed Richard's Drive-In on West 95th Street in | 17 | | Chicago; he ventured into managing country clubs, including | 18 | | Elmhurst Country Club and Itasca Country Club; Lynfred Winery | 19 | | began while he was still working at Itasca Country Club; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his first wife, Lynn; | 21 | | and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Fred Koehler is survived by his wife (and biggest | 2 | | fan), Valerie Koehler; his children, Fred Koehler, Jr. and | 3 | | Diane Koehler; his granddaughter, Katura Brooke Schramer; his | 4 | | brother, Arthur Koehler; his stepchildren; Karen, David, and | 5 | | Colin; his 10 grandchildren; his 6 great-grandchildren; and a | 6 | | congregation of wine lovers; therefore, be it
| 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 9 | | his family and friends, the passing of Fred Koehler; and be it | 10 | | further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of Fred Koehler as a symbol of our | 13 | | sincere sympathy.
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