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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Judith A. "Judy" (Ahlquist) Mayer of
4Rock Island, who passed away on April 26, 2024; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer was born in Marianna, Florida to
6Gerald and Vivyonne (Ekstrum) Ahlquist on July 24, 1945; her
7father served as a navigation instructor for the U.S. Army Air
8Corps following a decorated tour in Europe, and her mother
9served as a nurse; after the war, her family moved back to
10Minnesota; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer and her younger sister grew up in St.
12Cloud, Minnesota, where her father taught at St. Cloud State
13College; she graduated from St. Cloud Tech High School, then,
14following in her mother's footsteps, she enrolled in nursing
15school at Mounds-Midway School of Nursing; two years later,
16her family moved to Aurora, and her father taught at Aurora
17College, where she enrolled; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer graduated with a bachelor's degree in
19history in 1968; during this time, she met Gregory A. Mayer, a
20fellow history major, and they were married on December 27,
211969 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Warrenville; once married,
22they lived in St. Paul, Minnesota while Greg attended

 

 

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1Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary, and they welcomed
2their son Gregory Allen James Mayer; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer and Greg moved to pastoral calls at
4ELCA churches in Milledgeville (Trinity Lutheran), Sandwich
5(Salem Lutheran), and Rock Island (First Lutheran) before Greg
6retired in 2014; after his retirement, they became active
7members of St. John's Lutheran Church in Rock Island; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer had a passion for genealogy and
9volunteered for many years at the Swenson Swedish Immigration
10Research Center at Augustana College; she was fiercely proud
11of her Swedish ancestry and family lineage; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer loved her family, including her many
13cousins, second cousins, and first and second cousins once
14removed; she was especially proud of her grandchildren, Conrad
15and Katherine Mayer, whom she asked after and talked about
16many times during her final illness; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer had a passion for traveling; she went
18multiple times to Sweden and Germany, as well as to Denmark,
19Norway, Ireland, and the United Kingdom; she spent more time
20in graveyards and pouring over church records than most
21tourists, and she also loved spending time with family and
22friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer loved many cats throughout her life,
2too many to list individually, but it started with Linda Cat,
3her childhood pet in Minnesota; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer's strong Christian faith made her a
5supporter of social justice and progressive causes; she was a
6loyal Democrat, as attested to by the many yard signs she
7displayed at election time, and, while she was in no way a
8political strategist, she enjoyed volunteering, especially on
9her son's campaigns for state and local office; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer enjoyed entertaining her friends and
11family and loved having them gather for formal holiday dinners
12and informal gatherings in her back yard; she loved helping
13her daughter organize events for the residents of Friendship
14Manor in Rock Island; she and Greg also opened their home in
15Sandwich to students from the Illinois Math & Science Academy
16(IMSA) and served as a Rotary International host family,
17developing life-long friendships with IMSA students from
18across Illinois and with German exchange student, Markus
19Kruger; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer was preceded in death by her parents,
21Gerald and Vivyonne Ahlquist; her brother-in-law, David
22Beagley; her sister-in-law, Linda Mayer; and her niece, Maggie

 

 

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1Mayer; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Judy Mayer is survived by her husband, Rev. Greg
3Mayer; her children, Kristine Mayer and G. Allen (Carey)
4Mayer; her grandchildren, Conrad and Katherine Mayer; her
5sister, Janice Beagley; her brothers-in-law, David Mayer,
6Jeffrey Mayer, and Philip (Betsy) Mayer; and six nieces and
7nephews; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
9ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
10Judith A. "Judy" (Ahlquist) Mayer and extend our sincere
11condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
12her; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to the family of Judy Mayer as an expression of our
15deepest sympathy.