SR0870 LRB099 13860 MST 37837 r
1		SENATE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3		learn of the death of Stephen F. Esslinger of Elmwood, who
4		passed away on August 11, 2015; and
5		WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger was born in Washington on August
6		9, 1946 to Russell M. and Neva Lichtenberger; he married Bonnie
7		Frazelle on May 14, 1966 in Lewistown; and
8		WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger worked as a police officer for
9		the City of Peoria; "Essy", as he became known in the
10		department, was hired by the City of Peoria Police Department
11		in November of 1971; he was chosen as a field training officer,
12		bearing the responsibility for training newly hired police
13		officers; he continued to serve in this capacity until his
14		promotion to the rank of Sergeant in 1983; and
15		WHEREAS, As a Sergeant, Stephen Esslinger supervised the
16		Communication Dispatch and Information Center, Third Shift
17		Patrol, and the Special Investigations Division; he was
18		promoted to Lieutenant in 1993 and graduated from the
19		Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command;
20		during his time as a Lieutenant, he served as commander of
21		several divisions, including Third Shift Patrol, Juvenile,
22		Criminal Investigations, and Special Investigations; he was

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1		appointed captain on June 6, 1999 and was the commander of The
2		Uniformed Services Division, the largest division of the police
3		department, until his retirement on March 20, 2003; and
4		WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger was preceded in death by his
5		parents; and
6		WHEREAS, Stephen Esslinger is survived by his wife, Bonnie;
7		his 3 children, Dawn (Mike) Carter, Tonya (Mike) Doty, and
8		Heather (Lendsy) Gaiter; his 9 grandchildren, Brittany,
9		Alexus, Ashlee, Kevin, Trever, Zach, Uniquek, Ellaina, and
10		Sierra; his 3 great-grandchildren, Aniyah, Nevaeh, and Kiyan;
11		his sister, Camille (John) Gibson; his sister-in-law, Jeri
12		(Butch) Guenther; and his 2 nephews, Eric (Michelle) Guenther
13		and Shawn (Abby) Guenther; therefore, be it
14		RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
15		ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
16		Stephen F. Esslinger, and extend our sincere condolences to his
17		family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
18		further
19		RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20		presented to the family of Stephen Esslinger as an expression
21		of our deepest sympathy.