SR1212 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1212 LRB102 28997 LAW 40897 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the deaths of Lee and JoAnne Cabutti of Champaign, who passed away on September 8 and September 11, 2022, respectively; and

WHEREAS, Lee Cabutti was born to John and Maria Cabutti in Stiritz on April 5, 1925; he graduated from Johnston City High School in 1944; he attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) from 1944 to 1948, where he played on the N.A.I.A. fourth place basketball team in 1944-1945, the N.A.I.A. National Champions basketball team in 1946-1947, and the Corn Bowl championship football team in 1947; he was named the most valuable football player at SIU in 1946; he served as president of the senior class and president of the Sphinx Club; and

WHEREAS, Lee Cabutti taught and coached in Herrin from 1948 to 1955, where he was the head football, basketball, and track coach; his teams won the first conference championships in football and basketball in school history in 1954-1955; he then taught and coached in Champaign from 1956 to 1986, serving as assistant football coach for 10 years, athletic director for 25 years, and head basketball coach for 30 years; his basketball team won third place in the state tournament in 1969, and his teams played in the Sweet 16 three times; overall, his teams won 538 basketball games, making him the winningest coach in school history; and

WHEREAS, Lee Cabutti spent 40 summers at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, where he served as the director of the High School Boys Division for the last 30; he also served on the board of the Developmental Services Center in Champaign for six years; and

WHEREAS, Lee Cabutti was inducted into the Athletic Director's Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974; he was the recipient of the Buzzy O'Connor Award by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in 1987; he became the namesake of the athletic field near the High School Boys Division of the National Music Camp in 2002 and the basketball court at Champaign Central High School in 2005; and

WHEREAS, Lee Cabutti spent his retirement years working on five acres of land west of Champaign, selling firewood, apples, peaches, raspberries, blackberries, and tomatoes; he also organized a travel group that has taken trips all over the world and now consists of over 150 people; and

WHEREAS, JoAnne Cabutti was born to Carl and Meda Barlow in Carbondale on April 9, 1930; she graduated from Herrin Township High School, earning her high school diploma in only three years; she graduated from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri in 1951; and

WHEREAS, JoAnne Cabutti worked as an airline stewardess for a brief time before returning to Herrin, becoming a staff nurse at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Marion; she then worked as a staff nurse at Provena Covenant Medical Center from 1957 until she retired in 1992, at which time she opened the first recovery room in what was then known as Mercy Hospital; she was named Employee of the Year in 1970; and

WHEREAS, Following her retirement, JoAnne Cabutti became a life member of the Provena Covenant Auxiliary, which later became known as Volunteer Services; during her time in the organization, she created the JoAnne Cabutti Mitten Tree project and received a commendation for volunteering over 22,500 hours at Provena; she also enjoyed growing beautiful roses and sharing them with others, winning Best of Show in a local rose competition; and

WHEREAS, Lee and JoAnne Cabutti were married in Herrin on October 1, 1955; they moved to Champaign in 1957, where they had recently celebrated 67 years of marriage; and

WHEREAS, Lee and JoAnne Cabutti were members of the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Champaign, where they both served as eucharistic ministers; they received the Keys to the City of Champaign for their volunteerism and service to the community on March 18, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Lee and JoAnne Cabutti were preceded in death by their son, Mike Cabutti; Lee's sisters, Rose Brock and Lena Marshall; Lee's cousin, Eddie Dotta; and Lee's brother-in-law, Clem Brock; and

WHEREAS, Lee and JoAnne Cabutti are survived by their son, Mark Cabutti; their daughter-in-law, Gay White Cabutti; their granddaughters, Elise Cabutti and Emma Cabutti Barton (Austin); and Lee's cousin, Magdeline Dotta; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Lee and JoAnne Cabutti and extend our sincere condolences to their family, friends, and all who knew and loved them; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Lee and JoAnne Cabutti as an expression of our deepest sympathy.