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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Emma
4Marie Shafer of Springfield, who passed away on July 11, 2023;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was born to Mary C. "Cathy" Schwartz
7and John M. Shafer in Springfield on April 13, 1999; she
8graduated from Springfield High School; she earned an
9associate's degree in political science from Lincoln Land
10Community College and a bachelor's degree in urban studies
11from the New School in New York City; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was passionately involved in public
13office, serving as an intern in the office of U.S. Senator
14Tammy Duckworth, a Fellow in the New York City Mayor's Office
15of Immigrant Affairs, and a committee clerk at the State of
16Illinois House of Representatives; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was currently working at The Wakery
18and had just been hired to work for M.H. Action, where she was
19looking forward to advocating for the rights of people who
20live in manufactured homes; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was a lifelong activist; as a

 

 

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1teenager, she participated in several youth service projects
2with Westminster Presbyterian Church, including helping to
3repair homes for low-income families in Appalachia, later
4joining the Appalachian Service Project staff; more recently,
5she was committed to serving Springfield through educating the
6public about the harmful effects of the carbon dioxide (CO2)
7pipeline, advocating for an energy resource plan for City,
8Water, Light, and Power (CWLP) and the remediation of the coal
9ash ponds surrounding CWLP, and developing a food
10co-op/community center to serve Springfield's east side; her
11long-term plans included hosting redlining tours to explain
12the history and impact of racially discriminatory city
13planning in Springfield; she especially enjoyed canvassing and
14hosted weekly soup night gatherings in her home, bringing
15together advocates she believed needed to know each other; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer served as the membership chair of the
17Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group, an incoming board member
18for the Springfield Immigrant Advocacy Network, a former
19organizer with the Faith Coalition for the Common Good, and an
20active volunteer of countless other community groups; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer loved theater, having her breakout
22role in Dear Edwina, Jr. at the Springfield Theatre Center in
232010 before starring in The Diary of Anne Frank at Theatre in
24the Park in New Salem in 2014 and playing her dream role of

 

 

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1Mother in Ragtime at Springfield High School in 2017; earlier
2this year, she played the role of Eva Geiringer in And Then
3They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank at the
4University of Illinois at Springfield; she also worked in
5various behind-the-scenes roles across numerous theater
6productions, including in directing, lighting, and organizing;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was attracted to activist theater,
9believing it pushed people towards humanity, and loved
10traveling, making trips for both pleasure and service to
11California, New York, Europe, and South Africa; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was known for her big hugs, bright
13smile, thrifted clothes, beautifully written poetry and
14newspaper editorials, and her ability to make everyone she was
15with feel like the most important person in the world; she will
16be remembered for her funky, goofy, and larger than life
17spirit; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer was preceded in death by her
19grandparents, Frank "Beaver" Schwartz, Mary "Fran" Schwartz,
20and Robert Shafer; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Emma Shafer is survived by her parents; her
22sisters, Michelle B. "Shelley" (Zach) Brown and Kathryn L.

 

 

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1"Katie" (Drew) deMarco; her grandmother, Patricia Shafer; her
2nieces and nephews, Carter deMarco, Leo deMarco, Henry
3deMarco, Ava Brown, and Emma Brown; and numerous aunts,
4uncles, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we mourn the passing of Emma Marie Shafer and extend our
8sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew
9and loved her; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the family of Emma Shafer as an expression of our
12deepest sympathy.