SR0361 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0361 LRB100 12171 MST 24547 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of John Darrah, who passed away on March 23, 2017; and

WHEREAS, John Darrah was born in Chicago to Paul and Adele Darrah on December 11, 1938; he graduated from Mt. Carmel High School and Loyola University with a degree in philosophy; he attended night school while working at the Chicago pipe yard and graduated from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1969; and

WHEREAS, John Darrah served as an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission from 1969 to 1971; from 1971 until 1973, he was a Deputy Public Defender for the DuPage County Public Defender Office; he was a DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney from 1973 until 1976; he then went into private practice at Ryan & Darrah; in 1986, he was elected to serve in the State Court and was assigned to the Chancery Division of the 18th Judicial Circuit of DuPage County; he served in this capacity until 2000, when he was appointed to the United States Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Bill Clinton; in addition to his time on the bench, he served as an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law and The John Marshall Law School; and

WHEREAS, John Darrah was an avid fan of the Chicago White Sox and loved fishing; he also enjoyed spending time with his family and friends; he remained active in the legal community, mentoring countless attorneys throughout their careers; and

WHEREAS, John Darrah was preceded in death by his parents; his son-in-law, Jay Leinfelder; his brothers-in-law, Jim Boyer, John Carroll, and Rich Myers; and his nephew, David Myers; and

WHEREAS, John Darrah was the beloved husband of Jeannine Darrah; the cherished father of Jacqueline "Jackie" Darrah (Steve Knapmiller), Nancy Leinfelder, Paul (Dina Aralles) Darrah, Craig (Andrea Stetz) Darrah, and Julie (Brad) Peterson; the father of stepchildren, Lauren (Daniel) Vogley, Justin (Whitney) Custardo, Emily (Dorian) Jarrette, Hillary (Christian) Nunez, and Matthew Custardo; the grandfather of 19; the great-grandfather of three; the brother of Joan Myers, Jim (Maribeth) Darrah, Joyce Boyer, Sue Carroll, and Sharon (Mike) Coogan; the fond brother-in-law of Yvette and Chuck Koubek, Denise and Rick White, Bill and Kathleen Burton, Jamie and Mike Molitor, and Bob and Angie Burton; and the son-in-law of William and Veronica Burton; therefore, be it

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