SR0087 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0087 LRB104 11897 MST 21988 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of James Bottomley "Jim" Bleyer, who passed away on January 6, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer was born to Albert and Margaret (Tregoning) Bleyer on on October 5, 1928; he graduated from Carterville High School in 1946; he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served during the immediate aftermath of World War II; he attended Southern Illinois University, graduating in three years; he attended law school at Notre Dame, where he was awarded the Hoynes Prize, given to the graduating law class member who has the best record in scholarship, application, deportment, and achievement; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer began his legal career in 1954 at the law firm of Franklin and Garrison, leaving in 1966 to pursue the law as a sole practitioner; in 1976, he was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, an exclusive national organization comprised of lawyers with exceptional courtroom acumen; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer formed Bleyer and Bleyer in 1984 with his nephew, Brad; later, his children, Joe and Mary Margaret, along with his nephew, Rocky, and his great-nephew, Jonathan, all worked at the firm; his granddaughter, Jennifer, worked at the firm while in law school; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer was on the Character and Fitness Committee for the Illinois Supreme Court and enjoyed years of interviewing young attorneys prior to their admission to the bar; he continued practicing law and trying cases until age 92 and was an active member of the Illinois Bar; during his 70-year career, he earned the highest recognition possible in the legal field for his professionalism and ethics and had a lasting impact on the law, having argued several seminal cases before the Illinois Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer received the Illinois State Bar Association Laureate Award, the highest award honoring those deemed to exemplify the highest ideals of the profession; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer was a proud member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and served as a trustee; he was a charter member of the Knights of Columbus in Marion; he was awarded the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer's most ardent love, aside from his family, was the University of Notre Dame, especially its sports; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Eileen; his daughter, Teresa; his parents; and his brothers, sisters-in-law, and nephews, Bill and Dorothy (Rushing) Bleyer and son, Eric, Frank and Lita (LeVan) and son, Tony, and Tom, Tom's son, David, and wife, O'Mira; and

WHEREAS, Jim Bleyer is survived by his children, Mary Margaret (the Honorable John H.) Foradora, John Cavanaugh (Susan) Bleyer, Joseph Albert (Stacy) Bleyer, Anna Marie (Eric S.) Vogel, and James Robert (Heidi) Bleyer; his grandchildren, Jennifer Marie (Dan) Schroeder, Eric S. (Kaitlin) Vogel Jr., Margaret Erin Vogel, Kathleen Teresa Vogel, Joseph James Bleyer, Michael D. Bleyer, Margaret Teresa Bleyer, Mason James Bleyer, Elena Kate Bleyer, James Henry Foradora, and Abigail Margaret Bleyer; his great-grandchildren, Stella Elizabeth, Michael Stephen, and Luke James Vogel and Frank Albert and Thomas James Schroeder; and numerous nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of James Bottomley "Jim" Bleyer 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 Jim Bleyer as an expression of our deepest sympathy.