Full Text of SR0830 101st General Assembly
SR0830 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SR0830 | | LRB101 14994 MST 64541 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of William F. Bike, who passed away on | 4 | | September 24, 2019 at the age of 96; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, William Bike was born on February 7, 1923, the | 6 | | fifth of six children of Frank and Margaret Bike, and was | 7 | | raised in the Bucktown area of Chicago; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, William Bike worked in his family's bakery until | 9 | | the Great Depression forced it to close; he decided to leave | 10 | | Chicago and travel the road after completing his sophomore year | 11 | | at Lane Tech High School in 1939; he did this "so his family | 12 | | would have one less mouth to feed"; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, William Bike traveled across the United States by | 14 | | hitchhiking and hopping on freight trains, joining the 2 | 15 | | million people who "rode the rails"; he joined the Civilian | 16 | | Conservation Corps and worked odd jobs; he gained many skills, | 17 | | such as construction and auto repair; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, William Bike traveled the country and had many | 19 | | stories to tell about his adventures; once, he was arrested for | 20 | | vagrancy in Texas, and the town came to see the desperado that | 21 | | was spending the night in jail; he also snuck his way into |
| | | SR0830 | - 2 - | LRB101 14994 MST 64541 r |
|
| 1 | | California when their borders were closed to immigrants from | 2 | | other states by hitchhiking with a Californian returning home; | 3 | | and | 4 | | WHEREAS, William Bike settled in Los Angeles and worked in | 5 | | a restaurant and later a factory; on December 7, 1941, he was | 6 | | on a streetcar when he heard that the United States had entered | 7 | | World War II; he signed up to work as a civilian employee of | 8 | | the U.S. Army and went to Alaska to construct air bases; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, William Bike later joined the armed services as a | 10 | | sailor in the United States Merchant Marine, the branch that | 11 | | had the highest casualty rate during the war and did not gain | 12 | | recognition as a service branch or part of the military until | 13 | | 1988; he served from 1942 to 1943 and was assigned to be a | 14 | | baker on various ships bound for South America carrying | 15 | | supplies and equipment; these seamen, providing the crucial | 16 | | service of getting war materials to the troops, risked their | 17 | | lives because enemy ships treated them like war ships even | 18 | | though they had civilian crew; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, William Bike completed two years in the Pacific | 20 | | with the Merchant Marine and then joined the Army as a private; | 21 | | he was decorated with a Good Conduct Medal and a World War II | 22 | | Service Medal; he was a triple veteran of World War II, a | 23 | | civilian employee of the U.S. Army, a Merchant Marine, and a |
| | | SR0830 | - 3 - | LRB101 14994 MST 64541 r |
|
| 1 | | private in the Army; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, William Bike returned to his home state of | 3 | | Illinois and built a house in Lockport; he then returned to | 4 | | Bucktown and became a driver for Checker Taxi Chicago; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, William Bike met a Bucktown girl, Jean Smolen, and | 6 | | they were married in 1954 at St. Hedwig's Roman Catholic | 7 | | Church; they had a son, William S. Bike, in 1957; they lived in | 8 | | Logan Square, where they attended St. Sylvester's Roman | 9 | | Catholic Parish, and the North Center communities of Chicago | 10 | | before they moved to River Grove; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, In 1959, William Bike bought a truck and worked as | 12 | | a driver for Peerless Enameling and Japanning Co.; he continued | 13 | | to work as a truck driver until his retirement in 1987; he | 14 | | worked for Nick Totoni & Sons Trucking and the Stockyards | 15 | | Packing Co.; during these jobs, he became a member of the | 16 | | International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, At the conclusion of its Tribute to Veterans | 18 | | Motorcycle Ride in Oak Lawn on June 29, 2019, William Bike was | 19 | | honored by the Teamsters Local 700 for his World War II service | 20 | | and his service to the Teamsters; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, William Bike was known to always have a side |
| | | SR0830 | - 4 - | LRB101 14994 MST 64541 r |
|
| 1 | | business going, selling Christmas paper, clock radios, lamps, | 2 | | and even baked goods; he invested in rental properties for a | 3 | | period and bought food for poorer tenants, when they were in | 4 | | need; he also worked part time at the Gazette Chicago newspaper | 5 | | in circulation and was a member of the American Legion; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, William Bike and his wife eventually moved to the | 7 | | Autumn Green at Wright Campus retirement community on Chicago's | 8 | | Northwest Side; after his retirement until Jean passed away in | 9 | | 2014, they spent nearly all their time together, only parting | 10 | | when William went to the health club or his job at the | 11 | | newspaper; they also spent a lot of time with Jean's sister, | 12 | | Mary Smolen; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, William Bike had great health; he became a | 14 | | vegetarian from ages 50 to 70; he was dedicated to working out | 15 | | and would often be mistaken for his son's brother; he | 16 | | eventually relocated to the Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno; | 17 | | he visited Washington, D.C. through Honor Flight Chicago and | 18 | | got to see the war memorials and the National Air and Space | 19 | | Museum; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, William Bike was lifelong best friends with his | 21 | | brother, Richard Bike, and was lovingly referred to as Big Bill | 22 | | by his daughter-in-law; he had a wacky sense of humor but was | 23 | | incredibly kind and loving, as well as loyal and quirky; he was |
| | | SR0830 | - 5 - | LRB101 14994 MST 64541 r |
|
| 1 | | a great story-teller, a unique individual, and an amazing | 2 | | father; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, William Bike was preceded in death by his parents; | 4 | | his wife, Jean; his brothers, Joseph LeBike, Frank Bike, | 5 | | Richard Bike, and John Bike; his sister, Jean Bike Kania; and | 6 | | his sister-in-law, Mary Smolen; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, William Bike is survived by his son, William S. | 8 | | Bike; his daughter-in-law, Anne Nordhaus-Bike; his friend, | 9 | | Susan Fong; and several nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 11 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 12 | | William F. Bike and extend our sincere condolences to his | 13 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 14 | | further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 | | presented to the family of William Bike as an expression of our | 17 | | deepest sympathy.
|
|