HR0819 LRB093 21839 KEF 49782 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Marine
4 Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris on April 4, 2004, in combat with enemy
5 forces near the towns of Fallujah and Ramadi in the Al Anbar
6 Province of Iraq; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris was with the weapons company of the
8 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine
9 Expeditionary Force; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris grew up in Gurnee, the big brother of
11 five other siblings; he played football at the Warren Township
12 Center and local high school for eight years; and
 
13     WHEREAS, He enlisted in the Marine Corps in his last year
14 of high school and began his training soon after graduation in
15 2003; he was last stationed at Camp Pendleton before being
16 deployed to Iraq on February 15, 2004; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris was a man of deep conviction and
18 passion for God, his country, and the Marine Corps; his
19 commitment to the mission of bringing peace and stability to
20 the Iraqi people and the region was unwavering; even at his
21 young age, he was able to embody the spirit of the Marine
22 Corps, being faithful always to his family, his friends, and
23 his country; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris loved to hunt pheasants, geese and
25 ducks, and fish for salmon and trout on Lake Michigan with his
26 father and friends; he felt fulfilled when playing paintball in
27 the backyard with his buddies; he was most content teaching
28 chess, playing games and entertaining younger kids, and had
29 built some relationships with local Iraqi children; and
 

 

 

HR0819 - 2 - LRB093 21839 KEF 49782 r

1     WHEREAS, The passing of Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris will be
2 deeply felt by many, especially his father, Kirk S. and devoted
3 second mother, Vickie (Vander, Werff, Bisk); his siblings,
4 Jennifer, Lauren, Taylor, Austin, and little Dylan; his
5 grandparents, Ralph W. Morris, Virginia Balmes, and Gary L.,
6 and Jane Hein; his uncles, Doug and Gary Hein; his grandmother,
7 Helen Lundstrom; his uncles, Christopher Morris, Timothy
8 Morris, and Todd Woods; and his aunt, Melissa Barrett; and
 
9     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his mother, Leslie
10 Marie (nee Hein) Morris; therefore, be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
13 mourn the passing of Marine Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris along with
14 all who knew and loved him and extend our sincere condolences
15 to his family, friends, and community; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to the family of Marine Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris as a
18 token of our deepest sympathy.