Full Text of HR0767 95th General Assembly
HR0767 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0767 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of
Louis M. | 4 |
| Christen of Mattoon; and
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| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen was born on February 5, 1921 in | 6 |
| Fieldon; he was the second son of Frank and Anastacia (Goddee) | 7 |
| Christen; he married Jean Ashmore, who preceded him in death, | 8 |
| in 1944; he married Freda Donnell in 1979; and
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| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen served as a navigator with the | 10 |
| 303rd Bombardment Group flying missions from Molesworth, | 11 |
| England during the Second World War; during one of his | 12 |
| missions, after his plane was crippled by anti-aircraft fire, | 13 |
| he successfully navigated his B-17 Bomber to a crash landing in | 14 |
| eastern Poland, with every crewman surviving the crash; he | 15 |
| enjoyed attending annual reunions with his compatriots until | 16 |
| the group was disbanded in 2007; and
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| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen dedicated his professional life | 18 |
| to the field of agricultural development; he began as an | 19 |
| educator in Humboldt before becoming an assistant extension | 20 |
| agent in Shelbyville; he served as a Coles County Cooperative | 21 |
| Extension Service Farm Adviser from 1957 until his retirement | 22 |
| in September 1982; many farmers would turn to him as a source |
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| of agricultural information, a valuable commodity before the | 2 |
| advent of the Internet; after his retirement, he maintained an | 3 |
| active presence as a regular at the twice-yearly meetings held | 4 |
| by a group of retired Extension area advisers; and
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| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen maintained a keen interest in | 6 |
| local affairs; during his retirement, he served on the board of | 7 |
| directors of The Bank in Charleston; he also served as The | 8 |
| Bank's agricultural advisor; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen positively affected the lives of | 10 |
| many young people; he was one of the founders of the 4-H Club | 11 |
| livestock auctions at the Coles County Fair in 1957 and was | 12 |
| recently honored during the 50th anniversary of this tradition; | 13 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen always enjoyed the fellowship of | 15 |
| humans and animals; for many years, he maintained a "menagerie" | 16 |
| of peacocks, guineas, turkeys, and other strange feathered | 17 |
| friends; he recently kept back yard feeders well-stocked and | 18 |
| enjoyed watching his birds and keeping the squirrels at bay; | 19 |
| and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen was a devoted member and | 21 |
| supporter of St. Paul's Lutheran Church; and
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| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen is survived by his loving wife, | 2 |
| Freda; his sons, David and wife Sandy and Darryl and wife Mona; | 3 |
| his sister, Madonna Berry; his grandchildren, Holly Talbert and | 4 |
| husband Chris, Elan Christen, Nathan Christen, and Dylan | 5 |
| Christen; his stepchildren, Robert Donnell (wife Carol, | 6 |
| deceased), Nancy Breningmeyer and husband Lloyd, William | 7 |
| Donnell and wife Shirley, Linda Gargus (husband Kenny, | 8 |
| deceased), J. Tom Donnell, Rena Roberts and husband Hilton; and | 9 |
| his numerous step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; | 10 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Louis M. Christen was preceded in death by his | 12 |
| first wife, Jean; his parents, Frank and Anastacia; his | 13 |
| brothers, Frank, Eugene, Henry, Everett, and Neil; and his | 14 |
| sister, Anastacia; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 17 |
| mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Louis | 18 |
| M. Christen; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 |
| presented to Louis M. Christen as a symbol of our esteem and | 21 |
| respect.
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