SR0265 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0265 LRB098 11805 MST 44931 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Keiya "Laurie Winkler" Dancer of Peoria, who passed away on April 17, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Keiya Dancer was born on April 8, 1974, to Donald Winkler and Jo Anne (Simon) Winkler; she graduated from St. Bernard's Grade School and Woodruff High School in Peoria; she earned her bachelor's degree in 1997 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, majoring in forest resource management and minoring in Spanish and plant and soil science; she earned a master's degree in spiritual psychology in 2008 from the University of Santa Monica in Santa Monica, California; and

WHEREAS, Keiya Dancer studied abroad in Costa Rica and Ecuador and after graduation she worked in urban permaculture and woodland and prairie habitat restoration in Illinois and Missouri; in 1997 and 1998 she lived in Denver, Colorado, to care for her father and while there worked as a tutor and mentor for at-risk youth with the I Have a Dream Foundation of AmeriCorps; and

WHEREAS, From 2001 to 2004, Keiya Dancer owned Urban Ecological Designs, a part-time business focusing on urban permaculture and community gardens; she also worked for Friends of Sangamon Valley doing ecological restorations; from 2005 to 2009, she was a field guide and counselor for a wilderness substance abuse program in Utah; and

WHEREAS, Keiya Dancer was known for her wisdom, courage, tenacity, playfulness, and loving heart; she had a beautiful smile and a contagious laugh and her wonderful spirit will live on in all those she touched and in the hearts of her family and many friends; and

WHEREAS, Keiya Dancer was preceded in death by her father; her maternal uncle, Arnie Simon; her maternal grandfather, Earl Simon; and paternal grandparents, George and Esther (Dahlhauser) Winkler; and

WHEREAS, Keiya Dancer is survived by her mother, Jo Anne; her brother, Tim Winkler; her sisters, Shelley Winkler and Lindsay Winkler; her brother-in-law, Jon Domanus; and her dog, Luci; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Keiya Dancer, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Keiya Dancer as an expression of our deepest sympathy.