Full Text of SR0623 103rd General Assembly
SR0623 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0623 | | LRB103 35529 LAW 65601 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of August Edward "AugE" Kerres of | 4 | | Edgington, who passed away on November 24, 2023; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, August Kerres was born to August J. Kerres and | 6 | | Miriam (Hartman) Kerres in Kewanee on March 1, 1931; he | 7 | | graduated from Reynolds High School in 1949, where he was a | 8 | | football player and cheerleader and was named Homecoming King; | 9 | | he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, | 10 | | where he maintained Bell helicopters and earned multiple | 11 | | letters of commendation and a Bronze Star for his service; he | 12 | | married Mary Rose McGee in Rock Island on May 19, 1956, and | 13 | | they settled in Edgington and raised four children together; | 14 | | and | 15 | | WHEREAS, After working several jobs, August Kerres began | 16 | | working at Ben Rummel's service station in Edgington; he then | 17 | | partnered with his brother-in-law, Louis Fowler, to run the | 18 | | station, eventually becoming sole owner of Kerres Garage; he | 19 | | ran the garage until officially closing it in 1988, but he | 20 | | never stopped working, continuing farm and machinery repair | 21 | | from 1953 to 2023; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, August Kerres was a member of the American Legion |
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| 1 | | for 68 years, serving as commander several times; he also | 2 | | drove the VA van for 25 years, arranged and participated in | 3 | | Honor Guard for 35 years, and put flags up at the Legion and | 4 | | the Edgington Cemetery three times a year for many years; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, August Kerres was involved with the Rockridge | 6 | | Rockets for decades, and he attended school board meetings for | 7 | | more than 35 years, parked cars at the high school for 50 | 8 | | years, painted hashmarks on the Rockridge band practice field | 9 | | for 15 years, drove school buses for 25 years, and worked on | 10 | | buses in the bus barn until a few months before his passing; | 11 | | and | 12 | | WHEREAS, August Kerres enjoyed donating his time to his | 13 | | community in a number of ways, including serving as a | 14 | | volunteer fireman for 64 years, singing in the choir at St. | 15 | | Patrick Catholic Church in Taylor Ridge for 54 years, making | 16 | | ice cream for local churches and the fire station, and | 17 | | conducting kiddie tractor pulls for 57 years; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, August Kerres was very proud of his family and | 19 | | enjoyed supporting their activities; he loved dogs and had | 20 | | many beloved pets over the years, including Brownie, Tripod, | 21 | | Cricket, and Fleabe; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, August Kerres was preceded in death by his |
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| 1 | | parents; his sisters, Martha Jean and Dorothy (Louis) Fowler; | 2 | | his brother, Gary Kerres; and his brother-in-law, Roger | 3 | | Spivey; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, August Kerres is survived by his wife of 67 | 5 | | years, Mary Rose; his children, Kathleen (Pat) Begyn, Diane | 6 | | (Tim) Keller, Mike (Julie) Kerres, and Christine (Joe) | 7 | | Malecki; his grandchildren, Erica (Travis) Figanbaum, Ben | 8 | | (Kristi) Keller, Dustin (Lindsay) Begyn, Holley (Tyson) | 9 | | Blaser, Cole (Abbey) Kerres, Sarah (Tony) Brown, Annie | 10 | | Malecki, Jonah Malecki, and Luke Malecki; and 12 | 11 | | great-grandchildren, with one more baby due next year; | 12 | | therefore, be it | 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 14 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 15 | | August Edward "AugE" Kerres and extend our sincere condolences | 16 | | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | 17 | | it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to the family of August Kerres as an expression of | 20 | | our deepest sympathy. |
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