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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened by the loss of former Illinois
4State Representative Donald Larry Wennlund, who passed way on
5May 15, 2022 at the age of 80; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund was born in DeKalb on October 31,
71941; he was a native of Illinois; he liked to be called by his
8middle name, Larry; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund's father, Donald Wennlund, and his
10family moved to New Lenox; the Will County community was on the
11verge of what would be a period of explosive growth as part of
12greater Chicago; seeing these changes, and working with his
13friends in the New Lenox Lions Club, the senior Wennlund
14developed a patriotism-themed system of New Lenox public
15signage and Fourth of July celebration; this system, starting
16on July 4, 1970, helped make New Lenox the "Home of Proud
17Americans"; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund was inspired by the Wennlund family
19and its example; pursuing schooling and higher education, he
20earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the
21University of Illinois in 1964; after working as a teacher, he
22attended law school at the University of Illinois Chicago

 

 

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1School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor in 1968; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund then passed the bar exam and was
3licensed to practice law in Illinois; he chose his hometown of
4New Lenox as a base for his practice and served Will County for
5more than half a century; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund, as a professional with teaching
7experience, was chosen by his neighbors to serve as a member of
8the board of New Lenox School District #122 and became
9president of the school board; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund was chosen by Republican leaders to
11fill a vacancy in the Illinois House of Representatives; when
12an Illinois congressional seat became open in mid-1986, the
13longtime Illinois House member from the 84th Representative
14District, Republican Jack Davis, moved to the U.S. House of
15Representatives; Davis had won his March 1986 re-election
16primary, and this move created an Illinois House vacancy that,
17under law, was filled by Republican leaders within the
18district; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund was chosen by the voters of the
2084th Representative District by a margin of more than 1,100
21votes to serve his first full term in the Illinois House on
22November 4, 1986; he served five terms from the 85th through

 

 

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189th General Assemblies; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund became a committee spokesperson in
3his second term as a state representative, chosen to lead the
4Republicans in the House Committee on Aeronautics in 1989-90;
5he became the Republican spokesperson on the House Judiciary -
6Civil Law Committee in his third term; he also served as House
7Republican assistant floor leader; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund became an Illinois House Assistant
9Minority Leader in his fourth term and was part of the Illinois
10House Republican leadership team; when the Republicans won a
11House majority in the 89th General Assembly for the year 1995
12and 1996, he became the Illinois House Assistant Majority
13Leader; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund put his family and his home
15community of New Lenox first throughout his career; he chose
16not to seek re-election to the Illinois House of
17Representatives in 1996; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Rep. Wennlund, as a local leader and proud
19citizen of New Lenox, returned to his hometown and continued
20to practice law; and
 
21    WHEREAS, At the time of his passing, Rep. Wennlund was

 

 

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1survived by his wife of 58 years, Shirley Ann Major Wennlund;
2his four children, Jayna DeAngelis, Cass Wennlund, Dr. Joelle
3Wennlund, and Kara Singer; and many grandchildren and
4great-grandchildren; therefore be it; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we mourn the loss and observe the life of former Illinois State
8Representative Donald Larry Wennlund, a dedicated lawyer and a
9local leader in every sense of the word; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to Rep. Wennlund's son, Cass Wennlund of New Lenox,
12on behalf of the entire Wennlund family.