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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
3Assembly pays honor and respect to those truly great
4individuals who have served our State and, in doing so, have
5made the ultimate sacrifice; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Donald "Nick" Weist of
7the Knox County Sheriff's Office gave his life in the line of
8duty in pursuit of an armed subject on April 29, 2022; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist was born to Kevin Weist and Robin
10Monson in Platteville, Wisconsin on July 28, 1987; he earned
11his degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from
12Western Illinois University in 2009; he married Jessica Weist
13on January 11, 2012, and they had two children; he was a
14resident of Viola; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist wanted to be a police officer from a
16young age; following an internship with the Rock Island Police
17Department, he worked as a security guard for Trinity Hospital
18in the Quad Cities; in 2012, he was hired by the Mercer County
19Sheriff's Department as a 911 dispatcher and then as a
20correctional officer; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist was sworn into the Aledo Police

 

 

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1Department on June 26, 2015; after graduating from the
2Illinois Police Training Institute in September 2015, he began
3his career on the road; he began working as a deputy sheriff
4for the Knox County Sheriff's Office in 2018, where he served
5until his passing; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist served as union president, a taser
7instructor, and a leader in a number of different
8organizations within the Knox County Sheriff's Office; he
9organized the Explorer's Program for kids interested in law
10enforcement at Aledo High School, headed up college recruiting
11for the department, and raised funds and participated in Shop
12with a Cop throughout his career; he also served as a volunteer
13for the Viola Fire Department; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist loved anything outdoors; he
15especially enjoyed mountain biking and fishing with his kids;
16he also enjoyed deer hunting, cooking, and playing video
17games; he was passionate about everything he did; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist's first priority was his family; he
19was a devoted husband and father to Jessica and their
20children, Ava, age 12, and Emery, age 9; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist was preceded in death by his
22maternal grandmother, Peggy Mueller, and his paternal

 

 

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1grandmother, Mary Lou Weist; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist is survived by his wife; his
3children; his parents, Robin (Bill) Monson and Kevin Weist;
4his sister, Lindsay Weist; his paternal grandfather, Donald
5Weist, and maternal grandfathers, Donald Mueller and Jim
6(Carol) Nicholas Jr.; his step-siblings, Jason (Cathleen)
7Monson, Bill (Christina) Monson, Ryan (Annie) Monson, Renee
8(Cory) Funk, and Megan Monson; his parents-in-law, Cheryl and
9Lawrence Milder; his sisters-in-law, Kendra (Michael) Elledge
10and Jennifer (Joe) Kindon; and his brother-in-law, Benjy
11(Tiffany Bogardo) Milder; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Deputy Weist will be remembered for his
13unrelenting dedication, his kindness, and his selflessness in
14serving the people of Knox County and the State of Illinois;
15therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
17ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
18REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate U.S.
19Route 150 from Galesburg Main Street to the intersection of
20U.S. Route 150 and Illinois Route 17 in Alpha as the "Deputy
21Sheriff Nick Weist Memorial Highway"; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation

 

 

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1is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
2State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
3giving notice of the name of the "Deputy Sheriff Nick Weist
4Memorial Highway"; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
6presented to the family of Deputy Weist and the Secretary of
7the Illinois Department of Transportation.