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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Ronald H. McBride of Glen Carbon, who
4 passed away on February 23, 2009; and
 
5     WHEREAS, He was born January 28, 1948, in Chester,
6 Pennsylvania; he married Patricia Hoffmann on June 3, 1967, in
7 Mineral Wells, Texas; he was an officer in the United States
8 Army, serving two tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a
9 helicopter pilot, then continued his military career for 26
10 years; during that time he was stationed at various bases in
11 Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and in Germany, where he was an ROTC
12 instructor and worked as a comptroller before retiring at the
13 rank of Lt. Colonel; and
 
14     WHEREAS, After retirement, he started his own real estate
15 business and was the founder and general manager of the Cherry
16 Hills Apartment Complex in Edwardsville; he had a passion for
17 flying and owned his own aircraft for many years, earning
18 multiple pilot ratings for various types of aircraft including
19 Lear Jet, Seaplane, helicopters, multi-engine aircraft, and
20 hang gliders; and he once flew a Cessna single-engine aircraft
21 across the Atlantic Ocean from Germany to the United States; he
22 was president of a flying club while living in Germany, worked
23 as a flight and ground school instructor, and worked for the

 

 

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1 Federal Aviation Administration as a flight examiner; and
 
2     WHEREAS, He earned his master's degree in business from
3 Kansas State University, was a member of the Metro East
4 Landlords Association, St. Boniface Catholic Church in
5 Edwardsville, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, was a
6 volunteer usher at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, and a lifetime
7 member of the Eagle Scouts of America Association, having
8 earned the rank of Eagle Scout when a teenager; and
 
9     WHEREAS, He enjoyed snow skiing, traveling, water sports,
10 collecting model trains, theater, animals, especially his two
11 cats, Sparky and Daisy, and bowling, where he met his wife; he
12 loved spending time with his family; to him nothing was more
13 important in life than his family; his motto was, "Family
14 first, duty second"; he was a very giving individual always
15 looking for ways to help others; people always looked to him
16 for mentoring and he never turned down the opportunity to help
17 another person; he modeled his life after the philosophies, "Do
18 good deeds" and "Good things happen to good people"; and
 
19     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis
20 and Vera, nee Hendley, McBride; his stepmother, Charlotte
21 McBride; and his brother-in-law, Brice Wickham; and
 
22     WHEREAS, He is survived by his beloved wife of 42 years,

 

 

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1 Patricia, nee Hoffmann, McBride; his three daughters,
2 Kimberley and Robert Prater, Laura and Martin Deckert, and Beth
3 McBride; his brothers Francis "Rocky" McBride and Tim and
4 Michelle McGrath; his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Lois
5 and Lew Glasgow, Liz and Louie Rohlfing, and Bob and Candace
6 Hoffmann; his sisters-in-law, Nancy Wickham, Ruth Yager, and
7 Donna Klopfer; and his grandchildren, Allison, Rebecca, Kyle,
8 Cameron Prater, Patrick, Elena, and Philip Deckert; therefore,
9 be it
 
10     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
11 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
12 his family and friends, the passing of Ronald McBride; and be
13 it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15 presented to the family of Ronald McBride as a symbol of our
16 sincere sympathy.