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1
SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of William "Bill" Franz of Crystal Lake, who
4passed away on April 12, 2015; and
5 WHEREAS, Bill Franz was born in Dayton, Ohio on December 3,
61930; 2 years later, at the height of the Great Depression, his
7family moved to Crystal Lake; he graduated from Crystal Lake
8Community High School in 1948 and was his senior class
9President; he attended the University of Michigan, where he
10competed on the swim team for 2 years before service in the
11United States Air Force during the Korean War interrupted his
12studies; during his military service, he learned to speak
13Russian and later obtained a commission as a Second Lieutenant
14before being discharged at the war's end; and
15 WHEREAS, Bill Franz worked constantly throughout his
16lifetime, holding a succession of 53 different jobs before he
17turned 30; he graduated from Chicago Kent Law School in 1959
18and embarked on his 54th job, his law career; and
19 WHEREAS, Bill Franz played a leading role in Crystal Lake's
20residential and commercial development; he often served as a
21public advocate, as when his firm contested in court and won a
22judgment in the 1980s against a proposed new landfill in

SR0484- 2 -LRB099 12220 MST 35076 r
1McHenry County by a large company with a checkered
2environmental record; and
3 WHEREAS, Bill Franz was preceded in death by his parents;
4his 4 brothers; and his sister; and
5 WHEREAS, Bill Franz is survived by his wife of 52 years,
6Jane; his 2 sisters, Bonnie Franz Ogden and Sandy Franz
7Reynolds; his 4 children, David Franz, Julie McConnell, Liz
8Franz, and Sue Soden; and his 7 grandchildren, Katherine and
9Alex Franz, Emma and Isabel Soden, and Lucia, Carly, and Paige
10McConnell; therefore, be it
11 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
13William "Bill" Franz, and extend our sincere condolences to his
14family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
15further
16 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the family of Bill Franz as an expression of our
18deepest sympathy.