Full Text of SR0356 100th General Assembly
SR0356 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SR0356 | | LRB100 12147 MST 24484 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of former Illinois State Senator Joyce M. | 4 | | Holmberg of Rockford, who passed away on March 20, 2017; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was born in Rockford to Hartley | 6 | | and Lillian (Oberg) Lundee on July 19, 1930; she graduated from | 7 | | East High School and earned her Bachelor of Science in | 8 | | Education, with highest honors, at Northern Illinois | 9 | | University; she went on to do graduate work at Rockford College | 10 | | before completing her master's degree in counseling psychology | 11 | | at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, which later | 12 | | honored her with a Distinguished Alumna Award; she married | 13 | | Eugene Holmberg on April 12, 1952; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg began her career as a teacher in | 15 | | the Rockford Public Schools; she later worked as the community | 16 | | relations director for the Teacher Development Center and | 17 | | became the parent community coordinator for the Rockford Public | 18 | | Schools, hosting a weekly cable television show focused on | 19 | | parenting; she also served as an instructor at Rock Valley | 20 | | College; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was elected to the Illinois State | 22 | | Senate for the 34th District in 1982 and served for 10 years, |
| | | SR0356 | - 2 - | LRB100 12147 MST 24484 r |
|
| 1 | | where she earned a reputation as a staunch and effective | 2 | | advocate for Illinois public education; she led passage of tax | 3 | | amnesty legislation that generated $164 million for education | 4 | | and local governments; she created the Illinois College Savings | 5 | | Bond program and secured State funding for the Northern | 6 | | Illinois University campus in Rockford; she was a strong | 7 | | supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment; her work in | 8 | | Springfield was recognized by awards from numerous | 9 | | organizations in Rockford and throughout Illinois; she enjoyed | 10 | | the support of many friends and constituents from both sides of | 11 | | the aisle who helped to make her successful throughout her | 12 | | political career; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was the Director of the League of | 14 | | Women Voters of Illinois; she was a member of the Rockford | 15 | | League of Women Voters, a member of the State of Illinois and | 16 | | the Rockford American Association of University Women | 17 | | Education Committees, a member of the Rockford YMCA board, a | 18 | | founding member of the Rockford Network, and a board member at | 19 | | the Swedish Historical Society; she was on the boards of the | 20 | | Adler School of Professional Psychology and Northern Illinois | 21 | | University Law School; she was a volunteer for many political | 22 | | campaigns and referenda and was a delegate to the Democratic | 23 | | National Convention in 1984, 1992, and 1996; and | 24 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg and her husband had a summer home |
| | | SR0356 | - 3 - | LRB100 12147 MST 24484 r |
|
| 1 | | for many years in Cambridge, Wisconsin, where they were members | 2 | | of the Lake Ripley Country Club; she loved playing golf both in | 3 | | Wisconsin with the family and at Sandy Hollow Course in | 4 | | Rockford with the ladies group; she and her husband co-founded | 5 | | an international dinner club that rotated every two months to | 6 | | another house to experience the cuisine of a new country; they | 7 | | loved to travel, starting with a cross-Europe trip in 1954; | 8 | | when their children were young, most of their trips were | 9 | | camping across the United States, but later they travelled | 10 | | internationally including Mexico, Jamaica, many more trips to | 11 | | Europe, and annual spring trips to Destin, Florida for golfing; | 12 | | and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was known for her colorful, | 14 | | stylish clothes; she and her husband loved to go to the theater | 15 | | and looked for any chance to dress up for a party and go | 16 | | dancing; she loved bringing the family together to celebrate | 17 | | family traditions; she enjoyed spending time with her | 18 | | grandchildren and was always up for a game of cards or | 19 | | charades; many memories were made with their close-knit group | 20 | | of neighbors with whom they shared many New Year's Eve parties | 21 | | and birthday parties; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was a member of St. Mark Lutheran | 23 | | Church and a past member of Zion Lutheran Church, where she was | 24 | | involved in the Mr. and Mrs. Group; she enjoyed reading all |
| | | SR0356 | - 4 - | LRB100 12147 MST 24484 r |
|
| 1 | | manner of books, especially when it came to reading selections | 2 | | for her book club; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was preceded in death by her son, | 4 | | Todd Holmberg; after his passing, she and her husband created | 5 | | an award at East High School in his memory and founded Bereaved | 6 | | Parents of Rockford (a chapter of Compassionate Friends), which | 7 | | they co-chaired for several years; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg is survived by her husband, | 9 | | Eugene; her daughters, Gail Holmberg (Henri Gillet), and Polly | 10 | | (Charlie) Haller; her grandchildren, Victoria and Maia Gillet, | 11 | | and Dillon and Wyatt Haller; her sister, Phyllis (Keith) | 12 | | Carriere; her sister-in-law, Janet Jegen; and many nieces, | 13 | | nephews, and cousins; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 16 | | former Illinois State Senator Joyce M. Holmberg, and extend our | 17 | | sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew | 18 | | and loved her; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to the family of Senator Holmberg as an expression of | 21 | | our deepest sympathy.
|
|