Full Text of SR1568 101st General Assembly
SR1568 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | hear of the death of Zachary "Zac" Jacob Plantz, a Frankfort | 4 | | native and a lifelong Chicago loyalist, who passed away on | 5 | | November 26, 2020 at the age of 27; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz was born to Ronald and Laura (Zoberis) | 7 | | Plantz in Oak Lawn on March 18, 1993; he was an early arrival | 8 | | weighing 11 pounds and 6 ounces; a chubby, happy baby, he grew | 9 | | into a cute and endearing little boy who held a record for ring | 10 | | bearer appearances; he spent his childhood roaming Butternut | 11 | | Circle, winning football championships for the Frankfort | 12 | | Falcons, and playing king of the hill in his swimming pool with | 13 | | his three siblings Tyler, Logan, and Abby; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, On the football field, Zac Plantz was an intense | 15 | | competitor and leader who played alongside his big brother | 16 | | Tyler for most of his career; he and his brother worked as | 17 | | leaders as only brothers could; he was a beloved member of | 18 | | Providence Catholic High School's Class of 2011 and remained a | 19 | | faithful and dedicated alumnus and PCHS football fan all his | 20 | | life; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Matriculating at his family's alma mater, the | 22 | | University of Notre Dame, Zac Plantz's childhood affection for |
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| 1 | | the Fighting Irish flourished into a lifelong love affair; | 2 | | there, his athletic prowess found a new home on the rugby | 3 | | pitch, and he found a beloved new family in the Notre Dame | 4 | | Rugby Club; known by his teammates for being as strong as "an | 5 | | ox in the scrum," he was a stalwart defender who made his | 6 | | tackles count and left nothing on the field; the team left its | 7 | | mark on his heart, and its crest was permanently inked on his | 8 | | upper right thigh; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz's happiest years included those four at | 10 | | Notre Dame; he discovered new loves that sustained and shaped | 11 | | the rest of his life, including a Notre Dame rugby brotherhood, | 12 | | a family in the men of Morrissey Manor/Meat Suite, a stomping | 13 | | ground known as Finnis, and a girl named Kathleen; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz graduated from Notre Dame's Mendoza | 15 | | College of Business in 2015 with a degree in IT Management; he | 16 | | took his first job as a technology consultant at Protiviti in | 17 | | downtown Chicago, where he also became co-founder, captain, and | 18 | | unofficial social chair of the Kraken Rugby Football Club; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz enjoyed having a competitive job in his | 20 | | favorite city in the world, having only a short drive east to | 21 | | South Bend to see his brothers Tyler (Tuna) and Logan (Nagol) | 22 | | in his favorite college football stadium, having an even | 23 | | shorter drive south home to Frankfort where he could watch a |
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| 1 | | Bears game at Jameson's with his dad, grabbing lunch on | 2 | | Francesca's patio with his mom, and reliving his Providence | 3 | | glory days through his baby sister Abby's (Frabbers) major | 4 | | miles; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz relished Chicago summer nights in | 6 | | Chicago on the Rose Angelis patio with his girlfriend and | 7 | | partner in crime, affectionately called "Kow"; the couple | 8 | | ordered bottles of wine they couldn't afford and every entree | 9 | | on the menu as appetizers; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz's journey into adulthood came with a | 11 | | new sense of purpose; at the age of 25, he left a successful | 12 | | consulting career to pursue his true passion of public service; | 13 | | his first foray into politics was a campaign consulting job for | 14 | | Jerry Joyce for mayor of Chicago, and he took great pride in | 15 | | the campaign and considered it the most rewarding pursuit of | 16 | | his career; it sparked a promising new career in politics, or | 17 | | as he called it, "sports for grown ups"; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz was a smart, adept consultant, and his | 19 | | earnestness, dynamism, and competitive spirit made him an asset | 20 | | to any political campaign; most recently, he served as a | 21 | | campaign manager and senior policy adviser for Congressman Dan | 22 | | Lipinski (IL-03); he was also planning to attend law school | 23 | | next year; he was a naturally gifted advocate with unshakable |
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| 1 | | conviction and immeasurable potential; his death is a | 2 | | tremendous loss for a legal community that never got to meet | 3 | | him; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz's essence was revealed in his no frills | 5 | | wardrobe, comprised of camouflage sweatpants, a ND Hawaiian | 6 | | shirt, and an endless supply of bucket hats, as well as the | 7 | | wooden Kairos cross he often donned beneath the surface; | 8 | | handsome, charming, and a rascal at heart, he had a dapper | 9 | | smile, a twinkle in his eye, and the kind of genetic sparkle | 10 | | that made him immune to reproach; he was also a man of strong | 11 | | faith and conviction with a few hidden soft spots; he read a | 12 | | daily devotional every morning before work; he had tears in his | 13 | | eyes when the Cubs won the World Series; he poured himself into | 14 | | the things he cared about with his whole heart; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz was fun to his core; a well known "ball | 16 | | of energy," he was a staple to every good shenanigan, a couch | 17 | | buddy always in popular demand, and a staunch advocate for | 18 | | celebrating mediocrity; his heyday was the prolific Plantz | 19 | | Family tailgate that serves as a precursor to both football | 20 | | games and graduations alike; throughout his playful antics, he | 21 | | always held had a deep concern for others; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz left this earth with a dirty mustache | 23 | | that helped him single-handedly raise over $85,000 and counting |
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| 1 | | for the Movember Foundation, an organization dedicated to | 2 | | improving men's physical and mental health; he was a shepherd | 3 | | of sorts for every odd-man-out and was known to bridge the gap | 4 | | between old-timers and newcomers; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz had a knack for making old pals out of | 6 | | strangers and anyone who spent five minutes with him knew why; | 7 | | he was engaging, gregarious, and charismatic; he was a | 8 | | fantastic cheerleader; though he will be remembered by many for | 9 | | his rallying cries to "late-night," those who knew him best | 10 | | will remember him for the sensitivity he displayed while | 11 | | listening, the secrets he kept, and the vivid stories he told | 12 | | during those after hours bull sessions; while his journey on | 13 | | Earth might be over, his legacy will live in the advice he | 14 | | gave, the stories he told, and the people he brought together; | 15 | | and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz loved traditions; he loved to sing the | 17 | | Notre Dame Alma Mater in the stadium after football games, to | 18 | | dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve in Grandma Plantz's | 19 | | basement, and to drop everything for opening day at Wrigley | 20 | | Field and eat as many hot dogs as he could stomach, always | 21 | | keeping count; he was stubbornly committed to his childhood | 22 | | delights, including venerating Elvis, cherishing birthdays, | 23 | | and adhering to the same McDonald's regimen his entire life | 24 | | consisting of two McDoubles and an Oreo McFlurry; a little |
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| 1 | | superstitious at heart, he was always involved in the action of | 2 | | Notre Dame and Chicago sports and carried his gambling mantra | 3 | | of PVO, positive vibes only, into all aspects of his life; he | 4 | | would never sweat the small stuff and loved to remind himself | 5 | | and others to relax and live in the moment; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, At home, Zac Plantz was considered the energy of | 7 | | the family; he added personality, punch, and, most importantly, | 8 | | a plan to every family get together; he constantly doted on his | 9 | | Grandpa Wally and Grandma Erna and was a jack-of-all-trades in | 10 | | their eyes; he was the family ghost-writer, in-house expert on | 11 | | all things related to technology, co-captain and skipper of his | 12 | | brother Logan's boat, and an everyday Mr. Fix It; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz was many things, including a proud son, | 14 | | a loyal friend, a talented athlete, a gifted student, a bright | 15 | | consultant, a faithful Catholic, a devoted Irish, and a Bears, | 16 | | Cubs, and Blackhawks fan; but above all, his starring role on | 17 | | this earth was as a brother; he was exceptionally proud of his | 18 | | three siblings, and his life was the most precious gift to | 19 | | them; their loss is shared by an army of friends and loved ones | 20 | | who will painfully miss him as their own brother; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz was as generous with his brotherly love | 22 | | as he was with his good deeds; there was no destination too far | 23 | | for him to drive and no repair too tedious for him to fix; to |
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| 1 | | know him well was to always have him in your corner; he was | 2 | | fiercely loyal, and he loved with depth and devotion; his | 3 | | family and his friends could always depend on him and still do; | 4 | | and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz's last day of life was spent in his | 6 | | happy place, which was on a boat with his family in Sanibel | 7 | | Island, Florida; at the family's home away from home, he spent | 8 | | his last hours with old friends; but his exit from Earth was | 9 | | unfitting and unlike him; it was an early and premature | 10 | | departure from a party that still had much more in store, and, | 11 | | most uncharacteristically, he left behind the people that he | 12 | | loved the most; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz was preceded in death by his paternal | 14 | | grandmother, Lorraine Plantz; his cousin, Kyle Plantz; and his | 15 | | family dog, Domer; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Zac Plantz is survived by his parents; his | 17 | | siblings, Tyler (Jay), Logan (Buzz & Mowgli), and Abby; his | 18 | | maternal grandparents, Walter and Erna Jean Zoberis; his | 19 | | longtime girlfriend, Kathleen Hough; his numerous aunts and | 20 | | uncles; his cousins; and his many dear friends; therefore, be | 21 | | it
| 22 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL |
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| 1 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
| 2 | | Zachary "Zac" Plantz and extend our sincere
condolences to his | 3 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved
him; and be it | 4 | | further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
| 6 | | presented to the family of Zac Plantz as an expression of
our | 7 | | deepest sympathy.
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