SR0370 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0370 LRB102 18856 LAW 27575 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Mario John Sebastiani of Kankakee, who passed away on June 7, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani was born to Eugene and Carlotta (Lenci) Sebastiani on February 25, 1928; he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Tokyo, Japan, where he printed maps that showed battle lines and troop placements for the field command after he received aerial photos of the battle front; his military service ended in 1954; he married Betty Bright on June 26, 1954; and

WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani first served as a paper boy for the Kankakee Republican, the precursor of The Daily Journal; he officially began employment with the newspaper at the age of 16, which marked the beginning of his 65-year career; his first responsibilities were the pressroom jobs no one else wanted to do, including wiping down the presses; he started working in circulation when his older brother, Louie, was inducted into the U.S. Navy during World War II; he returned to the pressroom when Louie returned home and became a pressman soon thereafter; he was named pressroom superintendent as improvements began to influence the printing of newspapers, new offset presses were acquired, and The Daily Journal became a print site for USA Today for the Chicago area; under his supervision, The Daily Journal won many prestigious awards for printing quality, including several from USA Today; he last served as general manager, where he was instrumental in the day-to-day operation of the paper; he was respected and admired, and his reputation and his relationship with his peers reflected that respect and admiration; and

WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani enjoyed watching things grow, especially his garden and fruit trees; he picked and delivered vegetables and fruit to his friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances every summer; he enjoyed spending time in his own backyard and, in recent years, his living room chair, where he could watch his plantings grow with one eye and the stock market with the other; and

WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather; he was a great man with a great heart; he will be missed; and

WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Betty (Bright) Sebastiani; his parents; his brother, Louie Sebastiani; his brother-in-law, Joseph Bright; and his sister-in-law, Elsie Menard; and

WHEREAS, Mario Sebastiani is survived by his daughters, Gina (Michael) Pullen and Linda (Jim) Scanlon; his grandchildren, Mary (Mitch) Holmgren, Melissa (Peter) Chung, Brad Johnson, Stephanie (Mark) Alessi, and Sarah (Kelly) Krippel; his step-grandchildren, Jenna Kostelicz and Jamie Panici and their families; his great-grandchildren, Brady Chung, Ella Chung, Evan Alessi, Leah Alessi, and Kyle Holmgren; his sisters-in-law, Dorothy Bright and Elinor Bright; and his caregiver, D'Angelo Hunter; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Mario John Sebastiani 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 Mario Sebastiani as an expression of our deepest sympathy.