Former State Sen. Dick Klemm dies at 73

Former State Sen. Dick Klemm, an influential longtime fixture in McHenry County politics, died Monday night as a result of a stroke. He was 73.

Klemm, a Republican who served more than two decades in the Illinois General Assembly as both a representative and senator, was remembered Tuesday as a statesman, an advocate for public safety and local government and a mentor to the next generation of local leaders.

"Dick Klemm is the finest person I knew in my entire life," said Geri Davis, who served as Klemm's assistant for 14 years. "The man had so much honesty and integrity. If Dick Klemm told you something, you could take it to the bank."

"He was a great statesman, a community leader and a dedicated family man," State Sen. Pamela Althoff said. "He was a mentor to me for a long time."

Althoff, appointed to Klemm's seat in 2003 when cancer forced him to step down, said despite his failing health Klemm continued to serve in local politics as a GOP precinct committeeman for his Crystal Lake neighborhood.

A U.S. Army veteran, Klemm began his public career as a member of the Nunda Township board then served as a school board president in Crystal Lake. He later spent eight years on the McHenry County Board, serving as that body's chairman.

State Rep. Michael Tryon, who followed Klemm's path from the McHenry County Board to the state legislature, said as board chairman Klemm used cutting-edge planning and technology to protect the county's agricultural communities.

"He's a political talent who will be remembered fondly, no matter what part of the state you're in," Tryon said.

In 1981, he won election to the state House and served there for 12 years. He was elected to the state Senate in 1993 and remained there until health issues forced his resignation a decade later. At the time he was the Senate's Assistant Republican Leader.

During his years in Springfield, Klemm was the lead sponsor of "Welfare to Work" legislation that encouraged aid recipients to get off the state rolls, and he led the charge to reform laws to restrict how local governments take private land for public uses.

Prompted by the 1995 school bus-train crash that killed seven Cary-Grove high School students, Klemm was instrumental in expanding the duties of the Illinois Commerce Commission to better regulate rail crossings.

Klemm is survived by his wife, Nancy, seven children and more than a dozen grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.