Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR0426
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Full Text of SR0426  100th General Assembly

SR0426 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of William Grant Sisson of Wadsworth, who
4passed away on April 2, 2017; and
 
5    WHEREAS, William Sisson was born in Waukegan to Walter
6George and Erma Boyer Sisson on January 6, 1922; he moved to
7Zion when he was 17, where he lived until he was 78; he was part
8of the first graduating class of Zion Benton Township High
9School in 1940, where he loved to play the trombone in the
10first school band and earned the first varsity letter ever in
11basketball; growing up, he was a member of Grace Church in
12Zion; he also played in the Zion Concert Band and in the Zion
13Orchestra; after graduating from high school in 1940, he and
14his 72-year-old father, Walter, started Sisson Sheet Metal; and
 
15    WHEREAS, William Sisson was involved in the World War II
16effort at Abbott Laboratories before enlisting in the United
17States Navy; he served in the Navy Medical Corps from 1944 to
181946 and was stationed at Bremerton, Washington; he was then
19sent to Eniwetok, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean; he married
20Barbara Jane Baughman on November 24, 1944; and
 
21    WHEREAS, William started a wholesale heating and air
22conditioning business, Mid-Way Supply, Inc. in Zion in 1948,

 

 

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1which grew to employ 100 people at its peak; in 1973, IBM
2featured him in a small business advertisement in the Wall
3Street Journal for his early adoption of computers in his
4business; he retired from Mid-Way in 1990; and
 
5    WHEREAS, William Sisson served on the Zion State Bank Board
6of Directors, was on the Lake County Board of Supervisors as
7Assistant Zion Township Supervisor, and served as a trustee for
8the North American Heating and Air-Conditioning Wholesalers
9Association; he was on the board of the Lake County Heating
10Contractors Association and served on the board of the Zion
11Historical Society; after many years on the board of the Zion
12Evangelical Mission of Africa, he was given an honorary
13lifetime membership; and
 
14    WHEREAS, William Sisson visited Africa, Australia, China,
15Europe, and South America; in his 50s, he rode his bicycle from
16Zion to Indianapolis, Indiana; he visited all 50 states, and
17after retiring, he took his family and friends on adventures in
18his recreational vehicle; he bought a farm in Lindenhurst, now
19known as Grant's Grove, where he planted thousands of trees and
20hosted hundreds of picnics and parties, including a few
21weddings; he also passed out thousands of books on topics that
22he was passionate about; and
 
23    WHEREAS, William Sisson served on the Camp Zion Board of

 

 

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1Directors and served for over 20 years as work party
2coordinator; in addition, he worked as a youth leader, served
3on a pastoral search committee, worked faithfully as an usher,
4and played in the orchestra for the Zion Passion Play; and
 
5    WHEREAS, William Sisson and his wife were members of
6Christian Catholic Church (now Christ Community Church) in
7Zion, where he was active for over 70 years; and
 
8    WHEREAS, William Sisson was preceded in death by his
9parents; his sister, Florence Montroy; and his great-grandson,
10Asher David Phillips; and
 
11    WHEREAS, William Sisson is survived by his wife of 72
12years, Barbara; his children, Kay Sisson, Karilyn (Tom) Jones,
13Ken (Jeri) Sisson, and Karl (Kathy) Sisson; his grandchildren,
14Andrew (Phiona) Sisson, Becca Jones, Gretchen (Kyle) Phillips,
15Elli Jones, Nate (Megan) Sisson, Tim Jones, Haley Sisson,
16Matthew Sisson, Grant A. Sisson, Kelly Sisson, Jack Sisson, and
17David Sisson; his great-grandchildren, Alaina, Stephen, James,
18and Kaitrin Phillips, and Joshua Sisson; his foster sons, John
19(Nancy) Huber, and Glen (Annette) Crozier; his
20foster-grandchildren, Ishvara Brewington, Stacie (Aaron)
21Jones, and Ashley Kanode; and his foster great-grandchildren,
22Ryan and Maci Kanode; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
2ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
3William Grant Sisson, and extend our sincere condolences to his
4family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
5further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the family of William Sisson as an expression of
8our deepest sympathy.