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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Dorothy Worst of Lockport, who passed
4away on December 16, 2015; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dorothy Worst was born in Waterloo, Iowa in 1916
6to Carl and Theresa (nee Plaiser) Webbeking; as a child, she
7briefly moved to Bremen, Germany; she arrived back in the
8United States on March 30, 1927 at Ellis Island, New York; she
9graduated from Drake University with an R.N. in 1936; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Between 1941 and 1946, Dorothy Worst served in the
11U.S. Army as a nurse; she served as a surgical nurse stateside
12for 20 months at Ft. Leonard Wood, Lincoln Air Base, and Camp
13Kilmer; in February of 1943, she served as an operating room
14nurse in the 11th Evacuation Hospital, a mobile medical unit,
15moving throughout North Africa, Italy, Sicily, Southern
16France, and Germany; she was decorated with the American
17Defense Ribbon, the American Theatre Ribbon, the EAME Theatre
18Ribbon, 1 Silver Battle Star, 2 Bronze Battle Stars, the Bronze
19Service Arrowhead, 5 Overseas Service Bars, and the Victory
20Medal; her battles and campaigns included: Tunisian; Sicilian;
21Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Southern France; Rhineland; and
22Central Europe; she was at the Battle of the Bulge, the D-Day
23Invasion, and Anzio; during her service, she met King Zaad of

 

 

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1Albania, a Spitfire pilot for the British Air Force; Pope Pius
2XII; Josephine Baker; had a dinner date with Douglas Fairbanks,
3Jr.; flew a cargo plane; earned the nickname "Moonbeam"; and,
4shot a 50-caliber machine gun on a Swedish ship; she left the
5service as a Lieutenant 1st Class on February 21, 1946; she
6often was called upon by schools and groups to talk about her
7time in the service and later served as a VFW Post Adjutant in
8Lockport; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Dorothy Worst returned from her service and earned
10a master's degree in English and an R.N. from Minnesota
11University; she married William "Bill" Worst in 1948; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Dorothy Worst became a home healthcare nurse until
131949; starting in 1956, and through 1981, she worked at Silver
14Cross Hospital as an R.N., I.C.U. Director, and Coronary Clinic
15Specialist; she taught in the S.C.H. School of Nursing and
16served as a Fire and Disaster Safety Coordinator, EKG
17Instructor, CPR Instructor, and House Supervisor; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Dorothy Worst volunteered in the Hospital Medical
19Library; she was an Encore Shop President and volunteer and was
20on the Advisory Board at S.C.H.; she was a long time member of
21the King's Daughters, the founding organization of Silver Cross
22Hospital; she also served as President of the American Heart
23Association of Illinois; she was a member of St. John's

 

 

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1Episcopal Church in Lockport and she was featured in Lockport's
2History Scavenger Hunt this past summer and was the Lockport
3Memorial Day Parade's Grand Marshal; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Dorothy Worst was a great cook; she loved to
5garden and was a Garden Club member in Lockport; she crocheted
6and was known for knitting "scrubbies"; she sewed clothes for
7the kids and others; she took up painting and her art is
8distributed among her children and friends; she was an avid
9newspaper, book, and magazine reader; she was very political
10and could debate on all current events; she loved to tell war
11stories from her years in WWII; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Dorothy Worst was preceded in death by her
13husband, Bill; her parents; her brothers, Vernon, Karl, Ewald,
14and Otto; and her sister, Elfrieda; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Dorothy Worst is survived by her brother, Albert
16(Elaine); her children, Sally (Chris) Birkbeck, Cindy (Skip)
17Lanham, Sandy (Gilbert) Mitchell, and Marc Worst; her 4
18grandchildren, Heather, Jesse, Michelle, and Sarah; and many
19great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
21ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
22Dorothy Worst, and extend our sincere condolences to her

 

 

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1family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
2further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to the family of Dorothy Worst as an expression of
5our deepest sympathy.