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1		SENATE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3		learn of the death of Melvin Ernest Kamholz of Crystal Lake,
4		who passed away on January 23, 2017 at the age of 96; and
5		WHEREAS, Melvin Kamholz was born in Rockford and raised in
6		Marengo; he attended Marengo High School and excelled at track
7		and basketball; not long after graduating in 1938, he was
8		drafted into the United States Army and served four years in
9		the Pacific theater, becoming proficient with the Browning
10		Automatic Rifle and advancing to the rank of Sergeant; slated
11		to be part of the first wave of the invasion of Japan at the end
12		of the war, he and thousands of his fellow soldiers were spared
13		almost certain death by the dropping of the atomic bombs and
14		surrender of Japan in 1945; he met his wife, Mildred Fiepke,
15		when he first spotted her singing in the church choir and then
16		started buying his cigarettes from the grocery store where she
17		worked as a checker; they were married at Zion Lutheran Church
18		in Marengo in 1950; and
19		WHEREAS, Melvin Kamholz returned to Marengo after the war
20		and began working as a meter reader at Northern Illinois Gas
21		Company in Crystal Lake; he and his wife started their family
22		soon after and in 1955, moved to their newly-purchased home in
23		Crystal Lake to be closer to his job; he continued at the gas

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1		company until he retired at the age of 62, having worked his
2		way up from meter reader to service representative; and
3		WHEREAS, Melvin Kamholz was always competitive; he
4		excelled at basketball as a young man, and his skills on the
5		court saved him from more than one battle in the Philippines as
6		his commanding officers recruited him to play in tournaments
7		against Navy and Air Force teams; after the war, his skill at
8		softball led him to be a popular player; his greatest claim to
9		fame was hitting a home run off the nationally famous, "King",
10		who pitched for the semi-professional King and his Court; his
11		love and knowledge of baseball led to years of coaching Little
12		League in Crystal Lake; in his later years, he was an avid
13		fisherman, golfer, and bowler; he remained actively pursuing
14		these passions late into life; and
15		WHEREAS, Melvin Kamholz volunteered at the Crystal Lake
16		Food Pantry and helped with PADS and other church-related
17		charity work after his retirement; he kept himself busy working
18		part-time at Bethesda Thrift Shop, and was an invaluable driver
19		and delivery man for many years at his daughter-in-law's coffee
20		shop, Two-a-T; and
21		WHEREAS, Melvin Kamholz enjoyed Westerns, reading, playing
22		cards, and he loved watching the Cubs and college basketball;
23		he was an unrepentant jokester and loved embarrassing his

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1		family at restaurants every chance he could; when he was not
2		enjoying a beer, he enjoyed the occasional Brandy Old Fashioned
3		Sweet; his massive collection of beer cans and bottles covered
4		two walls of his basement man-cave; and
5		WHEREAS, Melvin Kamholz was preceded in death by his
6		parents, Ernest and Ida (Albrecht) Kamholz; and his siblings,
7		Howard Kamholz and Phyllis (Kamholz) Kunde; and
8		WHEREAS, Melvin Kamholz is survived by his wife of 66
9		years, Mildred (Fiepke) Kamholz; his eldest daughter, Karen
10		Kamholz; his son, Kurt (Debra) Kamholz; his youngest daughter,
11		Kim (Christopher) Archie; four grandchildren, Josh (Carly)
12		Kamholz, Jenna (Wesley) Janson, Jack Archie, and Kathryn
13		Dziewior; four great-grandchildren, Everett Kamholz, Brittany
14		Fatzinger, and James and Jonathan Janson; one
15		great-great-grandson, Mason Fatzinger; and many close friends;
16		therefore, be it
17		RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
18		ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
19		Melvin Ernest Kamholz, and extend our sincere condolences to
20		his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
21		further
22		RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

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1		presented to the family of Melvin Kamholz as an expression of
2		our deepest sympathy.