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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Henry W.
4"Hank" Flora of Aurora, who passed away on February 26, 2023;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Henry Flora was born to William and Jennie Flora
7in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on February 16, 1918; he graduated
8from Carlisle High School, where he was a star football
9player; he earned his bachelor's degree in Electrical
10Engineering from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in
111941, where he participated in the ROTC program; he married
12Lois Squires in Missouri on October 23, 1943; later in life, he
13earned his master's degree in Management Engineering from
14Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Henry Flora worked as a relay engineer at West
16Penn Power Company for a year before enlisting in the U.S. Army
17due to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; on Pearl Harbor Day
18two years later, he sailed to the South Pacific, where he
19served under General Douglas MacArthur and played a critical
20role in communications, helping to establish the radio
21communications network that sent information back to the
22United States from wherever Gen. MacArthur was establishing
23headquarters during the conflict to regain control of the

 

 

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1Philippines; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Henry Flora became a commanding officer of the
3U.S. Army Signal Corps Transmitting Station at the Hemmant
4military camp in Brisbane, Australia, where he operated a
5powerful twin channel transmitter; as commanding officer, he
6was in charge of the system that transmitted the majority of
7communications in the South Pacific; he was transferred to
8Seabourn Communications in September 1944, where he was in
9charge of two specially-outfitted transmitting ships; and
 
10    WHEREAS, After arriving home from the Pacific, Henry Flora
11used his technical expertise to work at the Pentagon in
12Washington, D.C. during the Korean War; he then pursued a
13successful career in technology, first working at AT&T and
14then IBM; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Henry Flora was a proud member of The Gideons
16International and the American Heart Association, and he was a
17past president of the Ostomy Association; he was instrumental
18in the building of Faith Assembly of God in Poughkeepsie, New
19York, where he was a valued member and served on the board; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Henry Flora remained tech-savvy, never missed a
21Penn State game, and was a gardening, bird, and weather
22aficionado; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Henry Flora was preceded in death by his wife;
2his parents; and his granddaughter, Hadessa "Hadi" Flor; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Henry Flora is survived by his children, Bob
4(Marilyne) Flora, Heather (Stanley) Birnbaum, Steve (Sharon
5Presti) Flora, and Hollie (Alan) Flora-Holmquist; his
6grandchildren, Linnann (Pascal) Muhlemann, Lisa Flora, Rachel
7(Nathaniel) Wiseman, Wendy Birnbaum, Eli Stephen (Shoshana)
8Birnbaum, Ariel Andrew (Gal) Birnbaum, Chaim (Vered) Birnbaum,
9Lucas Flora, Amber (Kevin) Lawless, Jade (Sikander)
10Flora-Holmquist, and Garnet (Will Dowling) Flora-Holmquist;
11his great-grandchildren, Sedona, Zack, Shalev, Tzuk, Carmel,
12Lavie, Leilah, Alastor, and Murphy; his nieces and nephews;
13his countless cousins; and his family of friends; therefore,
14be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
17we mourn the passing of Henry W. "Hank" Flora and extend our
18sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
19and loved him; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to the family of Henry Flora as an expression of our
22deepest sympathy.