SR0627 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0627 LRB102 21905 LAW 31026 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Horace Theodore "Ted" Strode of Canton, who passed away on November 16, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Ted Strode was born to Oral G. and Marguerite Herring Strode in Canton on January 19, 1932; he attended Canton High School, where he played second baseman and was inducted into the Canton Sports Hall of Fame; he married Martha Coultas at Shields Chapel United Methodist Church in 1954; he served in the U.S. Army, where he was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; he earned his bachelor's degree and master's degree from Western Illinois University; and

WHEREAS, Ted Strode was a school teacher and principal; he was always proud of the Lincoln and Eastview schools, where he was the opening principal; and

WHEREAS, Ted Strode was well known for his love of Canton and participated in numerous organizations, including the Friendship Festival Board where he served as president, the Fulton County Tourism Council, the United Way where he served as director, the Canton American Legion, the Masonic Lodge, the YMCA, the Wee-Ma-Tuk Country Club, the Fulton County Board, and the Spoon River Foundation Golf Outing Committee; he also volunteered for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and the American Heart Association's Jump for Heart; alongside his wife, he was chosen as a parade marshal of the Friendship Festival in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Ted Strode enjoyed participating in sports as a player, coach, and spectator in a wide range of activities, including jumping rope, track, baseball, basketball, golf, pickleball, and riding a stationary bike at the YMCA; he was a diehard Cubs fan, and he frequently attended Spring Training and multiple Cubs games each year with his wife; he attended 32 Cubs conventions and was a member of the Peoria Cubs Boosters; he currently has his name on a paving brick outside Wrigley Field; and

WHEREAS, Ted Strode was a lifelong member of Shields Chapel United Methodist Church, where he served as a teacher, board member, class officer, mission team member, softball player, and coach; he was deeply committed to his faith, church, and church family; he will be sorely missed by his family, friends, church, and community; and

WHEREAS, Ted Strode is survived by his wife, Martha; his daughters and their spouses, Gayle (Doug) Strode Blodgett and Megan (Jeff) Strode Taylor; his grandchildren and their families, Carolyn Blodgett, Jolena Trone, Caleb Blodgett, Catherine Blodgett, Griffin Blodgett, Case Blodgett, Brynna Blodgett, Siena Blodgett, Julian Taylor, Alaina Taylor, Lillian Taylor, Sydney Taylor Dole, Ryan Porter, and his namesake Teddy; his chosen grandson, Josh Knowles; his brother-in-law, Bill (Jane) Coultas; his sister-in-law, Nancy Reinertson; his many nieces and nephews; and his friends who became family, Cherrill and Marshall Morgan; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Horace Theodore "Ted" Strode 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 Ted Strode as an expression of our deepest sympathy.