SR2094 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2094 LRB099 22526 GRL 49951 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Jeffrey Arthur Lovett, who passed away on July 10, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Jeffrey Lovett was born on March 18, 1958 in Temple, Texas; his parents were Donald Robert Lovett and Carol Joan Pulver; he married Lisa Linn Reed on February 14, 1975; and

WHEREAS, Jeffrey Lovett graduated from Dixon High School in 1976, Sauk Valley College in 1978, and Northern Illinois University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from college, Jeffrey Lovett served as a state bank examiner with the Illinois Commissioner of Banks before becoming the Cashier, Board Secretary, and Loan Officer for the State Bank of Paw Paw; in 1985, he began working at Dixon National Bank as an Assistant Vice President in the loan department; in 1992, when Dixon National Bank was sold to AMCORE, he was made Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer, a position he held until March of 1999 when he was named President and Chief Operation Officer; he was later named a Regional Market President for the group of AMCORE banks that he managed; in 2010, Midland States Bank purchased the banks that he managed and he became one of three Regional Market Presidents, having oversight of the branches in Dixon, Oregon, Freeport, Sterling, Rock Falls, Princeton, Peru, and Mendota; and

WHEREAS, Jeffrey Lovett was involved with many community organizations; while living in Ashton, he was a Trustee on the Village Board, President of the Ashton Lions, a member of the Ashton Business Association and Ashton Fire Department; he helped organize the Ashton Summer Celebration and served as its first President; while living and working in Dixon, he was President of the Dixon Evening Lions Club, the Dixon Family YMCA, and the Dixon Petunia Festival, a founder and President of Dixon Main Street, and President and board member of the Sinnissippi Centers and the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Preservation Foundation; he served on the Board and numerous terms as President of the Great Lakes Belted Galloway Association; he served on the board of the Dixon Chamber of Commerce and the Sauk Valley College Foundation; he was appointed by Mayor James Burke to serve on his Economic Development Commission; he served on the Board of Directors for the Dixon Fire Department Pension Plan; and

WHEREAS, Jeffrey Lovett received the Dixon Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award in 1995; he was also a Dixon Evening Lions Club Lion of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Jeffrey Lovett enjoyed a lifelong interest in many areas of history, including the Civil War, local history, and genealogy; he enjoyed participating in Civil War reenactments for many years and shared this with his daughters and his nephew; he wrote and self-published many books about the homes in which he lived, several family lines, and the family histories of his friends; he and his wife enjoyed their family and their farm raising cattle, horses, and chickens; and

WHEREAS, Jeffrey Lovett was preceded in death by his grandchildren, Nora Katherine and William Arthur Richardson; and

WHEREAS, Jeffrey Lovett is survived by his loving wife, Lisa L. Lovett; his daughters, Heather L. Lovett and Sarah J. Lovett; his granddaughters, Haley Lenhart, Lillian Richardson, Katherine Richardson, and Marianna Al-Ghizawat; his parents; his siblings, Joan (Tim) Tripp and Don (Nikki) Lovett; and his four nieces and four nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Jeffrey Arthur Lovett; and be it further

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