SR0110 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0110 LRB096 11786 KXB 22576 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Jesus Gabriel Martinez of Chatham, formerly of Springfield, who passed away on February 21, 2009; and

WHEREAS, He was born March 24, 1932, in Havana, Cuba, to Bernandino and Berta Storch Martinez; in 1959 he married Carman O. Casanova in Havana; he graduated from the University of Havana with a degree in accounting and worked for the Cuban government as a CPA prior to it becoming a communist country; and

WHEREAS, After the Cuban revolution in 1962, Jesus was able to immigrate to the United States, where he joined the United States Army; during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; when Carman was able to emigrate from Cuba, they lived in Florida temporarily; and

WHEREAS, Due to political unrest and unavailability of his educational documents, Jesus chose to attend Indiana State University in Terre Haute where he earned his B.A. in Education; following his graduation, he and his wife moved to Springfield where, at Jefferson Middle School, he began his 30-year Spanish teaching career with Springfield School District #186; he also worked for H & R Block; and

WHEREAS, During his years of teaching, he lived in Springfield and was a member of the Douglas Avenue Methodist Church as well as El Groupo Latino, for which he played the bongo drums; using his training in the United States Army, he enjoyed fixing things; upon retiring in 1995, he moved to Chatham and became a member of Chatham United Methodist Church; throughout his life, he enjoyed his family, listening to music, dancing, going to the beach with family, and looking forward to cooking his traditional lechon assado (roast pork) every Christmas; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his wife, Carman; his brother, Raul; and his sister, Edilia; and

WHEREAS, Jesus Martinez is survived by his daughters, Patty (Bob) Lanser and Ivonne Martinez (husband, Tsen Chung Kang); his grandchildren, Haley, Olivia, Sophie, Jack, Christopher, Jonathan, and Emily to whom he was known as abuelo (grandfather in Spanish); and his sister, Berta; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Jesus Martinez; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Jesus Martinez as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.