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| | SR0426 | | LRB100 12360 MST 25109 r |
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1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to |
3 | | learn of the death of William Grant Sisson of Wadsworth, who |
4 | | passed away on April 2, 2017; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson was born in Waukegan to Walter |
6 | | George and Erma Boyer Sisson on January 6, 1922; he moved to |
7 | | Zion when he was 17, where he lived until he was 78; he was part |
8 | | of the first graduating class of Zion Benton Township High |
9 | | School in 1940, where he loved to play the trombone in the |
10 | | first school band and earned the first varsity letter ever in |
11 | | basketball; growing up, he was a member of Grace Church in |
12 | | Zion; he also played in the Zion Concert Band and in the Zion |
13 | | Orchestra; after graduating from high school in 1940, he and |
14 | | his 72-year-old father, Walter, started Sisson Sheet Metal; and |
15 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson was involved in the World War II |
16 | | effort at Abbott Laboratories before enlisting in the United |
17 | | States Navy; he served in the Navy Medical Corps from 1944 to |
18 | | 1946 and was stationed at Bremerton, Washington; he was then |
19 | | sent to Eniwetok, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean; he married |
20 | | Barbara Jane Baughman on November 24, 1944; and |
21 | | WHEREAS, William started a wholesale heating and air |
22 | | conditioning business, Mid-Way Supply, Inc. in Zion in 1948, |
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1 | | which grew to employ 100 people at its peak; in 1973, IBM |
2 | | featured him in a small business advertisement in the Wall |
3 | | Street Journal for his early adoption of computers in his |
4 | | business; he retired from Mid-Way in 1990; and |
5 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson served on the Zion State Bank Board |
6 | | of Directors, was on the Lake County Board of Supervisors as |
7 | | Assistant Zion Township Supervisor, and served as a trustee for |
8 | | the North American Heating and Air-Conditioning Wholesalers |
9 | | Association; he was on the board of the Lake County Heating |
10 | | Contractors Association and served on the board of the Zion |
11 | | Historical Society; after many years on the board of the Zion |
12 | | Evangelical Mission of Africa, he was given an honorary |
13 | | lifetime membership; and |
14 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson visited Africa, Australia, China, |
15 | | Europe, and South America; in his 50s, he rode his bicycle from |
16 | | Zion to Indianapolis, Indiana; he visited all 50 states, and |
17 | | after retiring, he took his family and friends on adventures in |
18 | | his recreational vehicle; he bought a farm in Lindenhurst, now |
19 | | known as Grant's Grove, where he planted thousands of trees and |
20 | | hosted hundreds of picnics and parties, including a few |
21 | | weddings; he also passed out thousands of books on topics that |
22 | | he was passionate about; and |
23 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson served on the Camp Zion Board of |
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1 | | Directors and served for over 20 years as work party |
2 | | coordinator; in addition, he worked as a youth leader, served |
3 | | on a pastoral search committee, worked faithfully as an usher, |
4 | | and played in the orchestra for the Zion Passion Play; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson and his wife were members of |
6 | | Christian Catholic Church (now Christ Community Church) in |
7 | | Zion, where he was active for over 70 years; and
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8 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson was preceded in death by his |
9 | | parents; his sister, Florence Montroy; and his great-grandson, |
10 | | Asher David Phillips; and
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11 | | WHEREAS, William Sisson is survived by his wife of 72 |
12 | | years, Barbara; his children, Kay Sisson, Karilyn (Tom) Jones, |
13 | | Ken (Jeri) Sisson, and Karl (Kathy) Sisson; his grandchildren, |
14 | | Andrew (Phiona) Sisson, Becca Jones, Gretchen (Kyle) Phillips, |
15 | | Elli Jones, Nate (Megan) Sisson, Tim Jones, Haley Sisson, |
16 | | Matthew Sisson, Grant A. Sisson, Kelly Sisson, Jack Sisson, and |
17 | | David Sisson; his great-grandchildren, Alaina, Stephen, James, |
18 | | and Kaitrin Phillips, and Joshua Sisson; his foster sons, John |
19 | | (Nancy) Huber, and Glen (Annette) Crozier; his |
20 | | foster-grandchildren, Ishvara Brewington, Stacie (Aaron) |
21 | | Jones, and Ashley Kanode; and his foster great-grandchildren, |
22 | | Ryan and Maci Kanode; therefore, be it
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| | SR0426 | - 4 - | LRB100 12360 MST 25109 r |
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1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL |
2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
3 | | William Grant Sisson, and extend our sincere condolences to his |
4 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it |
5 | | further
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6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
7 | | presented to the family of William Sisson as an expression of |
8 | | our deepest sympathy.
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