KANKAKEE, Ill. (WLS) — A funeral will be held Thursday for the late former Illinois Governor George Ryan. He died last Friday at the age of 91.
He will be remembered with memorial service in his hometown of Kankakee.
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Ryan had recently been moved into hospice care before his death, former Illinois House Republican leader Jim Durkin said last Friday.
A visitation was held Tuesday at Schreffler Funeral Home – Kankakee Chapel, 1900 W. Court St. in Kankakee.
A memorial service will begin at noon Thursday at Asbury United Methodist Church, 196 S. Harrison in Kankakee.
READ MORE | Former Illinois Governor George Ryan dies at 91
During his time as governor from 1999 to 2003, the Republican made a significant decision to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois.
Ryan grew up in Kankakee, where he worked in the family pharmacy before beginning a 40-year career serving in state government.
Having transitioned from being the speaker of the Illinois House, he successfully campaigned for various statewide positions such as lieutenant governor and secretary of state before assuming the role of governor for a single term.
Although the former governor garnered global attention for pausing the state’s death penalty executions, his legacy was marred by a federal corruption conviction. Notably, during Ryan’s tenure as Illinois Secretary of State in 1994, a tragic incident occurred where a truck driver, who fraudulently obtained his commercial license, caused a devastating crash resulting in the deaths of six children.
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His wife Lura Lynn passed away while he was in prison. He was released in 2013.
Ryan’s halting of the death penalty earned him considerations for a Noble Peace Prize.
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