Full Text of SR1199 99th General Assembly
SR1199 99TH 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 Walter William "Walt" Bittner of Normal, | 4 | | who passed away on October 28, 2015; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Walter Bittner was born on November 12, 1917 in | 6 | | Springfield, Massachusetts; his parents were William and | 7 | | Helene Bittner; he married Irene Crutcher Bittner on May 17, | 8 | | 1941; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Walter Bittner was the owner and operator of | 10 | | Bittner's Confectionary at Washington Street and Morris Avenue | 11 | | in Bloomington from 1938 to 1953; after selling the business, | 12 | | he began working at the National Bank of Bloomington, where he | 13 | | rose through the ranks from teller to vice president; he later | 14 | | worked for the Illinois Secretary of State Corporations | 15 | | Department and the driver's license facility in Bloomington; | 16 | | and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Walter Bittner's 44-year career in politics began | 18 | | in 1953; among the customers of his confectionary were members | 19 | | of the Bloomington City Council, who regularly gathered for | 20 | | hamburgers after Council meetings; because he often questioned | 21 | | their decisions, an alderman challenged him to run for a seat; | 22 | | upon being elected to the position in 1953, he served on the |
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| 1 | | Council for 4 terms until being elected as Mayor in 1969; as | 2 | | Mayor, he was most proud of his deciding vote to keep Miller | 3 | | Park Zoo open; he retired from the Mayor's Office in 1977, but | 4 | | was asked to fill a Council vacancy less than a year later; he | 5 | | subsequently served another 20 years on the Council; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In 1998, Walter Bittner and his wife asked the | 7 | | City to find a community use for their home at 504 West | 8 | | Washington Street; the property became Mayors Manor, which | 9 | | provides transitional housing for formerly homeless people; in | 10 | | 2004, the City named a new park on Towanda-Barnes Road after | 11 | | him in honor of his accomplishments; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Walter Bittner was a founding member of the McLean | 13 | | County Antique Automobile Club in 1963 and owned well over 100 | 14 | | antique cars during his adult life; he served on the planning | 15 | | committee of the Illinois Secretary of State's Antique | 16 | | Automobile and Sports Car Meet for 60 years, beginning with its | 17 | | first event in 1949; he was also a member of the Cross Pointe | 18 | | Church of God's Anderson, Indiana affiliate and held numerous | 19 | | committee positions and memberships throughout his community; | 20 | | and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Walter Bittner was preceded in death by his wife, | 22 | | Irene; his parents; and his sister, Louise Giesecke; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Walter Bittner is survived by his children, Rick | 2 | | (Noni) Bittner, Pam (Dave) Merrill, Jim (Marsha) Bittner, and | 3 | | Lisa (Mark) Burnett Butzow; his 10 grandchildren; his 13 | 4 | | great-grandchildren; and his great-great-grandchild; | 5 | | therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 7 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his | 8 | | family and friends, mourn the passing of Walter William "Walt" | 9 | | Bittner; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to the family of Walter Bittner as an expression of | 12 | | our sympathy.
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