HR0612 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0612 LRB095 12736 GRL 38083 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Leona Charest of Boulder Hill on the occasion of celebrating her 90th birthday on July 29, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Leona Charest was born on July 29, 1917 in Sedalia, Indiana; her family moved to Illinois when she was very young; her father, Guy A. Taylor, was killed in an auto accident when she was 3 years old; she, along with her sister Edna Mae Isbell and brother Alvin G. Taylor, went to live at Mooseheart Orphanage in Batavia, where her mother was employed; her mother then married Otto Anderson, and the family lived on a farm in Batavia, where she grew up; and

WHEREAS, Leona Charest was a very exceptionally bright child, and was moved up 2 grades while in school; she graduated from Batavia High School at the age of 15; she went on to become a nurse, working at Community Hospital in Geneva until she married Thomas A. Charest on January 7, 1950 and moved to Aurora; unable to have any children of their own, Leona and Thomas became foster parents, helping many children who needed temporary homes; they ended up adopting four daughters of their own; and

WHEREAS, In 1965, Leona Charest and her family moved to a small unincorporated subdivision in Kendall County called Boulder Hill, where Leona still lives today; Leona and Thomas became very involved in their community; Thomas was a member of the Kendall County Board and represented the Boulder Hill community until his passing in November 1996, and Leona was a member of the Kendall County Republican Women's Club, and was the president for several years; she also served on the Child & Family Services Board and the Jennings Terrace Board; she also had memberships with the Welcome Wagon, Garden Club, and Antique Club; she has very strong beliefs in God, her country, her family, and her community; and

WHEREAS, Leona Charest has 4 daughters, Susan, Polly, Dolly, and Patti; she also has 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Leona Charest on this milestone birthday and wish her good health and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Leona Charest as a symbol of our esteem and respect.