[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING JoANNE L. CICCHELLI

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, there are some people in the world who can 
be captured by a single word. For JoAnne L. Cicchelli, who passed away 
in August, that word is joy. JoAnne lived her life in search of finding 
joy for herself and creating it for others.
  JoAnne was born in Monroe, MI, and her childhood was filled with 
love, laughter, and learning. She attended Monroe High School and went 
on to attend Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI--an 
affiliation she was proud to display to the world, as evidenced by the 
Spartan green helmet bumper sticker that adorned her car. At Michigan 
State, JoAnne discovered the joy of education. She attended college 
during the 1960s, a time when young people all across the Nation were 
becoming increasingly politically active. JoAnne's college years, like 
those of many college students, were a time of discovery and 
exploration, engaging new ideas, people, and points of view. She 
developed an earnest desire to know more about the world around her, a 
desire she would carry with her for the rest of her life.
  Life would lead JoAnne to Illinois--which eventually became home--and 
where she discovered the joy of teaching. In her early career, she 
served as an educator, teaching fifth grade and then high school 
history. She would come back to the field of education years later, 
when she would join Prime-Time School Television, a nonprofit 
organization that connected teachers, families, and public television. 
I can only imagine how passionate, dedicated, and enthusiastic a 
teacher she must have been. Her students were lucky to learn from her. 
Understanding the importance of local education policy, she was also 
deeply involved in the community of Frances W. Parker School, a school 
in Lincoln Park, IL, where her daughters, granddaughters, and nephews 
all attended.
  She also served on the board of Christopher House, a social service 
agency supporting families from birth through high school. After JoAnne 
played a pivotal role in helping them launch their middle school, they 
named it in her honor. In October 2018, I was fortunate enough to 
attend the groundbreaking of JoAnne L. Cicchelli Middle School, which 
now stands as a fitting tribute to JoAnne's dedication to education, 
learning, and children.
  Anyone who knew JoAnne also knew she was deeply passionate about 
politics. She first entered the political realm following the 1968 
Democratic National Convention in Chicago. She started as a precinct 
worker during mayoral campaigns, became a strategist, and ultimately 
served as the office manager for 43rd Ward Alderman Edwin Eisendrath. 
She loved Chicago and all who call the city home.
  As an intellectual force, JoAnne could keep up with the best of them, 
but not everyone could keep up with her. JoAnne met her match in the 
early 1980s when she met former Chicago alderman, my friend William 
``Bill'' Singer. They bonded over shared interests: politics, art, 
travel, and food, and in 1995, JoAnne and Bill were married in 
Florence, Italy. Their support and love for one another formed the 
foundation of their love for others.
  But more than anything, JoAnne had a gift of connecting with people, 
making everyone she came across feel heard and valued. Whenever she 
would enter a store or sit down at a restaurant, she would immediately 
ask the saleswoman or server for their thoughts on the latest news, 
what was going on in Chicago, or politics. But these were not empty 
questions to fill moments of silence. She cared to hear what they had 
to say because she believed that every person had a role to play in 
making the world a better place. She longed to connect and find the joy 
in others.
  JoAnne had a profound appreciation for beauty. In between discussions 
of how to expand access to education to more children or confront the 
issues of the day, she found herself most at home tending to her 
garden, deriving joy from the beauty of the natural world.
  Loretta and I were lucky to have called JoAnne our treasured friend. 
To her husband Bill; her two daughters Elizabeth and Katherine; her 
three grandchildren Grace, Eleanor, and Beatrice; and to all of her 
family and friends who are also mourning this tremendous loss, we 
extend our sincerest sympathies. JoAnne was a light that brightened the 
lives of all of those in her orbit, and the world feels a little less 
luminous without her. We will miss her dearly.

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