Bill Text: IL SR1005 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Willis Gamble Johnson of Downers Grove.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-05-26 - Resolution Adopted [SR1005 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-SR1005-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
3 | to learn of the death of Willis Gamble Johnson of Downers | ||||||
4 | Grove, who passed away on August 16, 2023 at the age of 86; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson was a lifelong resident of Downers | ||||||
6 | Grove and was born to Elizabeth Gable and Willis "Abbot" | ||||||
7 | Johnson on January 11, 1937; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson graduated from Downers Grove | ||||||
9 | Community High School in 1955 and continued his education at | ||||||
10 | Western Michigan University, graduating in 1959; early in his | ||||||
11 | career, he served as a sergeant in the Army National Guard | ||||||
12 | before working at International Harvester as a time study | ||||||
13 | engineer; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson founded Johnson Printers with his | ||||||
15 | brother, Ross, before becoming co-founder and president of | ||||||
16 | Classic Cinemas/Tivoli Enterprises, which has grown to include | ||||||
17 | 16 theater locations, including the historic Tivoli in Downers | ||||||
18 | Grove; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson's strong work ethic and relentless | ||||||
20 | dedication helped grow Classic Cinemas into the largest movie | ||||||
21 | theater chain based in Illinois; he adored restoring old |
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1 | buildings and converting them into valuable additions to the | ||||||
2 | surrounding community; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson always prioritized community | ||||||
4 | involvement and was very active in business, historic, and | ||||||
5 | civic organizations in Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Oak Park, and | ||||||
6 | other towns where he owned theaters; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson received countless honors for his | ||||||
8 | service, including being inducted into the Elmhurst Civic Hall | ||||||
9 | of Fame in 2002 and being chosen as Downers Grove Citizen of | ||||||
10 | the Year in 2010; he and his wife, Shirley, were honored by the | ||||||
11 | Downers Grove Historical Society as Historians of the Year in | ||||||
12 | 2023 and were featured in a documentary film entitled History | ||||||
13 | Happens Here: The Tivoli Theater; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson was proud to have his son, Chris, | ||||||
15 | continue the legacy of the company he helped build; he also | ||||||
16 | served as a past president of the National Association of | ||||||
17 | Theater Owners of Illinois; and
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18 | WHEREAS, In his youth, Willis Johnson loved cars and was | ||||||
19 | known around town for his sky blue 1937 Ford with a white | ||||||
20 | leather interior, a car which he fixed and customized; in his | ||||||
21 | later years, he appreciated the beauty of flowers, frequently | ||||||
22 | incorporating landscaping along theater entries, parking lots, |
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1 | and his own yard; and
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2 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson enjoyed weekends at Lake Holiday | ||||||
3 | with his family and had an extensive collection of Lego sets | ||||||
4 | that he liked to build in his spare time; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson was preceded in death by his | ||||||
6 | sister, Sara Homberg, and his brother-in-law, Robert Griffin; | ||||||
7 | and
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8 | WHEREAS, Willis Johnson is survived by his wife of 46 | ||||||
9 | years, Shirley; his children, Stephen Johnson, Kay Johnson, | ||||||
10 | Chris Johnson, Wendy Leick, and Amy Balicki; his stepchildren, | ||||||
11 | Mary Reichl and Richard Winters; and his 14 grandchildren; | ||||||
12 | therefore, be it
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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 | Willis Gamble Johnson and extend our sincere condolences to | ||||||
16 | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | ||||||
17 | further
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