Bill Text: IL SR0860 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Richard Allen Welton, former Mayor of Gurnee.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2015-08-19 - Resolution Adopted [SR0860 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-SR0860-Introduced.html

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SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
learn of the death of Richard Allen "Dick" Welton, former Mayor
of Gurnee, who passed away on July 31, 2015; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Welton was born on September 6, 1942 to
Arthur and Mary Welton; he graduated from Warren Township High
School in 1961 and from Carthage College in 1965, later serving
on its board; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Welton took over management
responsibilities of the Welton's Food Mart and helped it grow
into a 5 store chain, employing over 1000 dedicated team
members; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Welton was appointed as a Village of Gurnee
Trustee in 1971; 2 years later, he was elected Mayor of Gurnee
at the age of 30, the youngest Mayor in Illinois at the time;
he retained this position for the next 28 years and led the
expansion of Gurnee from a small village to a thriving
community bringing in Great America, Gurnee Mills, and
virtually every major residential and commercial development;
he was the first Lake County Mayor to serve as President of the
Illinois Municipal League; he took great pride in his work with
the Lake County Joint Action Water Agency and served as its

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first President; he was responsible for the formation of the
Lake County Storm Water Management Commission following the
1986 record flood in Gurnee; he was a member of the PACE board
for past 20 years and was on the Gurnee Economic Development
Committee; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Welton was an active member of the Gurnee
Exchange club for over 35 years, being honored with the "Book
of Golden Deeds" award; he was instrumental in the development
of the Gurnee Days Corporation, the Gurnee Park District, and
the Warren Newport Library; he worked on the "Save Great Lakes
Naval Station" campaign; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Welton was a lifelong member of the Gurnee
Community Church; he was elected to the Warren Township High
School Hall of Fame in the early 1990s; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Welton was preceded in death by his parents;
his father-in-law, Don Shannon; his brother and sister-in-law,
Art and Lynn Welton; and his nephew, A.G. Hancock; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Welton is survived by his beloved wife,
Debby (Shannon); his children, Natalie (Ross) Ellis, Dick
(Maria) Welton, Jr., Stacy (Owen) Evans, Brett (Amy) Schmidt,
and Kristan (Mike) Kolar; his grandchildren, Erika, Liam,
Kaitlyn, Angelina, Jake, Jackson, and John; his mother-in-law,

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Marilyn Fredrickson; his in-laws, Donna (Guy) Flaschner, Don
(Lisa) Shannon, and Richard (Mario) Shannon; and his siblings,
Maryann (Dr. Manooch) Sharifi, Harry (Gail) Welton, Martha
(Marvin) Schmidt, Bill (Annette) Welton, Sara (Al) Hancock, and
Nancy (Jim) Hayner; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
Richard Allen "Dick" Welton, and extend our sincere condolences
to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Mayor Welton as an expression of our
deepest sympathy.