SR0461

LRB095 15019 KXB 40972 r






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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
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learn of the passing of Thomas Montalbano Sr., who passed away 
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on December 3, 2007; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The solid wood French and Baroque style pieces 
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that Thomas Montalbano Sr. designed and made in his factory, 
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Montalbano Majestic Furniture Company in Bellwood, were bought 
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by heads of state and hundreds of individuals who appreciated 
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the craftsmanship; and

 
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    WHEREAS, At age 94, Mr. Montalbano stopped working the 
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machines at the factory and officially retired;

Mr. Montalbano 
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was one of 10 children; the family moved from Joliet to Chicago 
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and settled on Austin Avenue near Grand Avenue; Mr. Montalbano 
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dropped out of school after grammar school and at age 13 became 
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a carving apprentice; the business started in the family's 
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garage and remained there for the next five years before it 
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moved to a little factory on Chicago Avenue, then a larger 
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facility on Peoria Street; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Later, Mr. Montalbano opened a factory in Humboldt 
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Park before World War II and remained there for almost 50 years 
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before moving in the 1980s to Bellwood; at one point in the 
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1970s and 1980s, the company's pieces were handled by 600 
 


 






SR0461
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LRB095 15019 KXB 40972 r




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stores nationwide; the company employed 200 people, many who 
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worked for the company for decades; he was a  devout Catholic 
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who  built a full-size chapel in the middle of the factory where 
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mass is said for his employees about 50 times a year; he also 
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has made desks for schools, pews for churches and performed 
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countless other small deeds; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his sons, Thomas Jr., 
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and Robert; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, M. Patricia, whom he 
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married in 1933, and his son Richard, other survivors include a 
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daughter, Patricia Hugar; 13 grandchildren; and 15 
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great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Thomas Montalbano Sr.; 
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and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Thomas Montalbano Sr. as a symbol of 
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our sympathy.