SR0603 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0603 LRB096 20048 KXB 35555 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Nancy Marie Leonardi of Aurora, who passed away on January 26, 2010; and

WHEREAS, She was born on June 17th, 1935 in Appleton, Wisconsin, the daughter of Marvin B. and Evelyn C. (Haen) Ellis; she was a graduate of St. Joseph grade school and attended Appleton Senior High until her father was transferred to Aurora with the Vendo Company; she graduated the next year from East Aurora High School, Class of 1953; and

WHEREAS, Shortly after graduation, she met her future husband, Louis V. Leonardi Jr., during a TV service call; he was so struck by her beauty, and too nervous to ask her out, that he made up an excuse that allowed him to gather his courage and return the next day; Nancy and Louis were married on February 19, 1955; and

WHEREAS, She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many; affectionately known as "Nan Babes", she was an avid bowler, a masterful cook (her lasagna was legendary), a great hostess, an accomplished seamstress, and a huge fan of the White Sox, Packers, and Wheel of Fortune; she enjoyed attending and cheering for her children and grandchildren at various sporting events and rarely missed a game; she was a member of Holy Angels Parish, St. Anne's Society, and numerous bowling leagues; in 2008 she was inducted as an honorary member of the Greater Aurora United States Bowling Congress; and

WHEREAS, She was preceded in death by her parents, Marvin and Evelyn Ellis; her husband, Louis Jr.; her father-in-law, Louis Sr.; her uncle, Clifford Haen; and her aunts, Dorothy Conway, Cordell Michels, and Alice Christianson; and

WHEREAS, She is survived by her six children, Victoria (Michael) McCoy, Debra Owens, Michael Leonardi, Anthony (Ellen) Leonardi, Christina (Jeffrey) Robinson, and Louis III (Ximena) Leonardi; her grandchildren, Joseph, Mark and Kate McCoy, Lisa and Brian Owens, Olivia, Raymond and Vincent Leonardi, Nicholas and Julianne Robinson, and Louis IV, James, Jake, and Sophia Leonardi; her mother-in-law, Beverly (Pope) Leonardi; her in-laws, James Leonardi and Janis (Rod) Van Fleet; her uncle, Richard Haen; and her numerous nieces and nephews and a large extended family; therefore, be it

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

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