HR0125 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0125 LRB101 11016 ALS 56211 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former Illinois State Representative Charles F. Keller, who passed away on January 22, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Representative Keller was born to Loami and Thelma Keller on January 22, 1939; and

WHEREAS, The Keller family created many successful businesses in the City of Effingham, including Keller Oil and the Keller Development Company; and

WHEREAS, Like his father and mother before him, Representative Keller carried on his family's entrepreneurial spirit and started many new businesses, including the Thelma Keller Convention Center; and

WHEREAS, Representative Keller was President of the Illinois Young Democrats and actively campaigned for the election of President John F. Kennedy; and

WHEREAS, Representative Keller remained interested in politics and was ultimately elected to the Illinois House of Representatives; he was reelected for five consecutive terms; and

WHEREAS, Friends and members of the community knew Representative Keller as a kind and generous man; along with his wife, he spent a year in war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he helped the local people; and

WHEREAS, Representative Keller and his family hosted German exchange student, Uwe Blab, who helped to lead the Effingham High School basketball team to second place at the state tournament in 1980; he then returned to Germany, where he played professional basketball; and

WHEREAS, Representative Keller retained his love of business throughout his life and founded the Hofbrauhaus German restaurant and brewery in his later years; and

WHEREAS, Representative Keller is survived by his wife, Doris Jean Keller, and their children; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of former Illinois State Representative Charles Keller 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 Representative Keller as an expression of our deepest sympathy.