Bill Text: IL SR0356 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of former Illinois State Senator Joyce M. Holmberg.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-03-30 - Resolution Adopted [SR0356 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-SR0356-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of former Illinois State Senator Joyce M. | ||||||
4 | Holmberg of Rockford, who passed away on March 20, 2017; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was born in Rockford to Hartley | ||||||
6 | and Lillian (Oberg) Lundee on July 19, 1930; she graduated from | ||||||
7 | East High School and earned her Bachelor of Science in | ||||||
8 | Education, with highest honors, at Northern Illinois | ||||||
9 | University; she went on to do graduate work at Rockford College | ||||||
10 | before completing her master's degree in counseling psychology | ||||||
11 | at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, which later | ||||||
12 | honored her with a Distinguished Alumna Award; she married | ||||||
13 | Eugene Holmberg on April 12, 1952; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg began her career as a teacher in | ||||||
15 | the Rockford Public Schools; she later worked as the community | ||||||
16 | relations director for the Teacher Development Center and | ||||||
17 | became the parent community coordinator for the Rockford Public | ||||||
18 | Schools, hosting a weekly cable television show focused on | ||||||
19 | parenting; she also served as an instructor at Rock Valley | ||||||
20 | College; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was elected to the Illinois State | ||||||
22 | Senate for the 34th District in 1982 and served for 10 years, |
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1 | where she earned a reputation as a staunch and effective | ||||||
2 | advocate for Illinois public education; she led passage of tax | ||||||
3 | amnesty legislation that generated $164 million for education | ||||||
4 | and local governments; she created the Illinois College Savings | ||||||
5 | Bond program and secured State funding for the Northern | ||||||
6 | Illinois University campus in Rockford; she was a strong | ||||||
7 | supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment; her work in | ||||||
8 | Springfield was recognized by awards from numerous | ||||||
9 | organizations in Rockford and throughout Illinois; she enjoyed | ||||||
10 | the support of many friends and constituents from both sides of | ||||||
11 | the aisle who helped to make her successful throughout her | ||||||
12 | political career; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was the Director of the League of | ||||||
14 | Women Voters of Illinois; she was a member of the Rockford | ||||||
15 | League of Women Voters, a member of the State of Illinois and | ||||||
16 | the Rockford American Association of University Women | ||||||
17 | Education Committees, a member of the Rockford YMCA board, a | ||||||
18 | founding member of the Rockford Network, and a board member at | ||||||
19 | the Swedish Historical Society; she was on the boards of the | ||||||
20 | Adler School of Professional Psychology and Northern Illinois | ||||||
21 | University Law School; she was a volunteer for many political | ||||||
22 | campaigns and referenda and was a delegate to the Democratic | ||||||
23 | National Convention in 1984, 1992, and 1996; and
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24 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg and her husband had a summer home |
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1 | for many years in Cambridge, Wisconsin, where they were members | ||||||
2 | of the Lake Ripley Country Club; she loved playing golf both in | ||||||
3 | Wisconsin with the family and at Sandy Hollow Course in | ||||||
4 | Rockford with the ladies group; she and her husband co-founded | ||||||
5 | an international dinner club that rotated every two months to | ||||||
6 | another house to experience the cuisine of a new country; they | ||||||
7 | loved to travel, starting with a cross-Europe trip in 1954; | ||||||
8 | when their children were young, most of their trips were | ||||||
9 | camping across the United States, but later they travelled | ||||||
10 | internationally including Mexico, Jamaica, many more trips to | ||||||
11 | Europe, and annual spring trips to Destin, Florida for golfing; | ||||||
12 | and
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13 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was known for her colorful, | ||||||
14 | stylish clothes; she and her husband loved to go to the theater | ||||||
15 | and looked for any chance to dress up for a party and go | ||||||
16 | dancing; she loved bringing the family together to celebrate | ||||||
17 | family traditions; she enjoyed spending time with her | ||||||
18 | grandchildren and was always up for a game of cards or | ||||||
19 | charades; many memories were made with their close-knit group | ||||||
20 | of neighbors with whom they shared many New Year's Eve parties | ||||||
21 | and birthday parties; and
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22 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was a member of St. Mark Lutheran | ||||||
23 | Church and a past member of Zion Lutheran Church, where she was | ||||||
24 | involved in the Mr. and Mrs. Group; she enjoyed reading all |
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1 | manner of books, especially when it came to reading selections | ||||||
2 | for her book club; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg was preceded in death by her son, | ||||||
4 | Todd Holmberg; after his passing, she and her husband created | ||||||
5 | an award at East High School in his memory and founded Bereaved | ||||||
6 | Parents of Rockford (a chapter of Compassionate Friends), which | ||||||
7 | they co-chaired for several years; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Senator Holmberg is survived by her husband, | ||||||
9 | Eugene; her daughters, Gail Holmberg (Henri Gillet), and Polly | ||||||
10 | (Charlie) Haller; her grandchildren, Victoria and Maia Gillet, | ||||||
11 | and Dillon and Wyatt Haller; her sister, Phyllis (Keith) | ||||||
12 | Carriere; her sister-in-law, Janet Jegen; and many nieces, | ||||||
13 | nephews, and cousins; therefore, be it
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14 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
15 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
16 | former Illinois State Senator Joyce M. Holmberg, and extend our | ||||||
17 | sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew | ||||||
18 | and loved her; and be it further
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19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
20 | presented to the family of Senator Holmberg as an expression of | ||||||
21 | our deepest sympathy.
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