HR0819 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Marine Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris on April 4, 2004, in combat with enemy forces near the towns of Fallujah and Ramadi in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris was with the weapons company of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force; and

WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris grew up in Gurnee, the big brother of five other siblings; he played football at the Warren Township Center and local high school for eight years; and

WHEREAS, He enlisted in the Marine Corps in his last year of high school and began his training soon after graduation in 2003; he was last stationed at Camp Pendleton before being deployed to Iraq on February 15, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris was a man of deep conviction and passion for God, his country, and the Marine Corps; his commitment to the mission of bringing peace and stability to the Iraqi people and the region was unwavering; even at his young age, he was able to embody the spirit of the Marine Corps, being faithful always to his family, his friends, and his country; and

WHEREAS, Pfc. Morris loved to hunt pheasants, geese and ducks, and fish for salmon and trout on Lake Michigan with his father and friends; he felt fulfilled when playing paintball in the backyard with his buddies; he was most content teaching chess, playing games and entertaining younger kids, and had built some relationships with local Iraqi children; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris will be deeply felt by many, especially his father, Kirk S. and devoted second mother, Vickie (Vander, Werff, Bisk); his siblings, Jennifer, Lauren, Taylor, Austin, and little Dylan; his grandparents, Ralph W. Morris, Virginia Balmes, and Gary L., and Jane Hein; his uncles, Doug and Gary Hein; his grandmother, Helen Lundstrom; his uncles, Christopher Morris, Timothy Morris, and Todd Woods; and his aunt, Melissa Barrett; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his mother, Leslie Marie (nee Hein) Morris; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Marine Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris along with all who knew and loved him and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Marine Pfc. Geoffrey S. Morris as a token of our deepest sympathy.