Bill Text: IL HR0836 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Lester F. Macko of Cary.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-03-06 - Resolution Adopted [HR0836 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-HR0836-Introduced.html

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HR0836 LRB097 20674 KXB 66895 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Lester F.
Macko of Cary, who passed away on January 12, 2012; and
WHEREAS, He was born September 2, 1930, to Frank and Anne
Macko, and lived his entire life in the Cary and Fox River
Grove area; he married Frances Cassell in 1952 and they had 5
children, the late Steven, Anne, Jeff, Leslie, and Carlene
Macko; and
WHEREAS, He proudly served in the United States Army as a
Private First Class during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954;
upon his honorable discharge he became a lifetime member of the
Frank H. Nagel Jr. Post of the American Legion in Fox River
Grove; and
WHEREAS, Along with his brother, Karl, he founded and
operated Macko Brothers Construction in McHenry County; he
joined the Cary Fire Protection District in 1963 as a volunteer
firefighter; his dedication to fire safety lead to his
promotion as Fire Chief in 1975; and
WHEREAS, He was an innovator in the development of
emergency medical training of paramedics in the 1970s, helping

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organize the McHenry/Western Lake County Emergency Medical
System, and later helped found the Fire Science program at
McHenry College, which continues to provide critical training
to firefighters; his leadership lead to the hiring of the Cary
Fire Protection District's first full-time paramedic and to the
purchase of the District's first Mobile Intensive Care Unit;
and
WHEREAS, His leadership was critical as a founding member
of McHenry County's Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS Division
5) that provides pre-planned response of fire and rescue
services to other communities when a large scale emergency
occurs that requires the assistance of other fire departments,
and he was an important factor in MABAS-IL becoming a model for
other states; and
WHEREAS, His dedication to fire protection and public
safety lead to the decisions of his son Steven and his son Jeff
in becoming firefighters; and
WHEREAS, He retired from the Cary Fire Protection District
after 37 years of service, serving as Chief for 25 years; after
his retirement he remained active in the Illinois Fire Chiefs,
the McHenry County Fire Chiefs, and the Lake County Fire Chiefs
associations, and in 2008, was named Fire Chief Emeritus by the
Illinois Fire Chiefs Association; and

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WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his beloved wife,
Frances Macko; his son Steve Macko; and his brother, Karl
Macko; and
WHEREAS, Lester Macko is survived by his children, Anne
Macko, Jeff Macko, Leslie Macko, and Carlene Macko; his
grandchildren, Amy Tamason, Kayla Macko, Stephanie Nommensen,
Jeffrey Sandburg, and Carl Macko; his great-grandchildren,
Brayden, Dylan, Quinn, and Loralye; his sister, Doris Nastal;
and his daughter-in-law, Diane Grever; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we mourn, along with his family, friends, and all whose lives
he touched, the passing of retired Cary Fire Protection
District Chief Lester F. Macko; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Lester F. Macko and to the Cary Fire
Protection District as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.