SR0380 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0380 LRB098 12450 MST 46850 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of former Spring Grove village president John Love Toler of Red Lodge, Montana, who passed away on May 17, 2013; and

WHEREAS, John Toler was born to Robert and Mary Gould Toler on December 7, 1942, in St. Louis, Missouri and was raised there and in Port Washington, New York; he attended the College of William & Mary and Babson College before enlisting in the U.S. Army; he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and served a tour of duty in Vietnam as a forward observer with the 2/77 Field Artillery Regiment attached to the First Air Cavalry Division; he earned 3 Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and a Silver Star; upon returning from Vietnam, he settled in St. Charles, Missouri; he married Judy Kraak on February 7, 1970; and

WHEREAS, John Toler worked for Hallmark Cards until 1976, when he and his brother, James, built a manufacturer representatives business, Toler Marketing Group; and

WHEREAS, John Toler was active in his community and served on the village board of Spring Grove from 1981 to 1983 and as village president from 1983 to 1993; he was also involved in community health care services and served on the board of trustees of Northern Illinois Medical Center (now Centegra Health System) from 1989 to 1995 and as chairman of the board from 1993 to 1995; he was instrumental in fundraising for Teamwork Not Taxes, a group that financed the athletic field at Richmond-Burton Community High School, and he helped establish the Helmet Club; and

WHEREAS, John Toler and Judy moved to Red Lodge, Montana, in 2001 and opened the 1902 Emporium and the Red Lodge Flower Shop; while in Montana, he worked as a sales consultant for several businesses and as club steward at the Beartooth Elks Lodge; and

WHEREAS, After moving to Red Lodge, John Toler served on the Red Lodge city planning board and the Beartooth Memorial Hospital Board, and, while serving as president of the hospital board, he was actively involved in the construction of a new community hospital; and

WHEREAS, John Toler was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, James G. Toler; and

WHEREAS, John Toler is survived by his wife, Judy; his children, John Love Toler II (Brittany), Jeffrey Alan Toler (Sharon), and Leslie Kraak Johnson (Andrew); his grandchildren, Jacob James, Lily Cathleen, Zachary Love, Aurelia Kraak, John Love III, and Grant Snow; and his sister, Jeanne Toler Suthoff; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of John Toler, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of John Toler as an expression of our deepest sympathy.