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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 William Dean "Bill" "Kirbo" Kirby of | ||||||
| 4 | Tolono, who passed away on November 23, 2018; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Bill Kirby was born in Buffalo Hart to Agnes Opal | ||||||
| 6 | (Duncan) and Arthur Taylor Kirby on July 18, 1920; he attended | ||||||
| 7 | Blackburn College and then graduated from the University of | ||||||
| 8 | Illinois in 1942; after earning his degree, he enlisted in the | ||||||
| 9 | United States Army Air Forces, where he served in the war as a | ||||||
| 10 | medical administration officer in England and rode a pontoon | ||||||
| 11 | plane that traveled back and forth over the English Channel | ||||||
| 12 | picking up survivors; he rose to the rank of second lieutenant; | ||||||
| 13 | he married Norma Jean Schroeder on April 8, 1943; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, After the war, Bill Kirby worked for Georgetown | ||||||
| 15 | schools and taught agriculture and biology; during this time, | ||||||
| 16 | he and some of his friends organized the annual Georgetown | ||||||
| 17 | Fair, which was officially recognized by the Illinois | ||||||
| 18 | Department of Agriculture in 1948; after teaching for five | ||||||
| 19 | years, he worked as an agent for County Financial Insurance | ||||||
| 20 | until his retirement in 1985; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Bill Kirby served as mayor of Tolono from 1961 | ||||||
| 22 | until 1969 and then as a trustee for eight more years; during | ||||||
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| 1 | his time with the village, he felt his biggest achievement was | ||||||
| 2 | the establishment of a sanitary sewer system; he was the | ||||||
| 3 | treasurer for the Unit 7 School District for 20 years; he also | ||||||
| 4 | wrote a popular weekly column for The County Star, in which he | ||||||
| 5 | discussed Buffalo, the war, Tolono, and Unit 7; he complied his | ||||||
| 6 | writings into the book, "Buffalo Chips and Tolono Clips" in | ||||||
| 7 | 2000; in recent years, he served as president of the Tolono | ||||||
| 8 | Historical Society and the Veterans Museum; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Bill Kirby was an active member of the Tolono | ||||||
| 10 | United Methodist Church and the Tolono Lions Club; he was a | ||||||
| 11 | long-term member of the VFW and the American Legion; he was an | ||||||
| 12 | avid fan of Fighting Illini football and basketball and | ||||||
| 13 | attended as many games as he could for as long as he was able; | ||||||
| 14 | he will be remembered for his love for his community; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Bill Kirby was preceded in death by his wife, | ||||||
| 16 | Norma; his son, Richard (Sue); his daughter, Gail; his parents; | ||||||
| 17 | and his five brothers; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Bill Kirby is survived by his sons, Robert | ||||||
| 19 | (Claudia) and Rod (Cathy); his seven grandchildren; and his | ||||||
| 20 | five great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
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| 21 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 22 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
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| 1 | William Dean "Bill" "Kirbo" Kirby and extend our sincere | ||||||
| 2 | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | ||||||
| 3 | him; and be it further
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| 4 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 5 | presented to the family of Bill Kirby as an expression of our | ||||||
| 6 | deepest sympathy.
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