Published on May 28, 2026 2:54 pm
Last Updated on May 28, 2026 2:54 pm
The Illinois House of Representatives Thursday approved Senate Joint Resolutions in honor and memory of two Effingham area natives who died in service of our country.
The House approved resolutions honoring Sergeant Timothy Sayne and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Donaldson. Both resolutions were approved 113-0, and both were approved earlier by the Illinois Senate.
SGT. TIMOTHY SAYNE
The Fayette Avenue overpass will be named the Sgt. Timothy Sayne Memorial Overpass. The 4th Street overpass in Effingham will be named the Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Donaldson Memorial Overpass.
CFO2 CHRISTOPHER DONALDSON
State Representative Blaine Wilhour of Beecher City was chief sponsor of the House resolution honoring Donaldson, while State Representative Adam Niemerg of Dieterich was the chief sponsor of the resolution honoring Sayne. State Senator Steve McClure of Springfield was the chief sponsor for both resolutions in the Illinois Senate. However, State Representatives Brad Halbrook of Shelbyville was a co-sponsor on both resolutions in the House and Niemerg and Wilhour each co-sponsored the other’s resolutions. State Senators Jason Plummer and Chapin Rose co-sponsored both of the resolutions in the Senate.
THE OFFICIAL VOTE ON THE TIMOTHY SAYNE RESOLUTION
Chief Warrant Officer Donaldson was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Ft. Drum, New York. Donaldson died May 5, 2006 when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter he was traveling on crashed during combat operations east of Abad, Afghanistan.
Sergeant Sayne began serving in the US Army in 2008. He was stationed in Alaska and was assigned to B Troop, 5-1 Calvary, 1/25 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Sayne was killed in action during an insurgent attack in Shah Wali Kot in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on September 18, 2011.
The Illinois Department of Transportation was requested to create appropriate signage in recognition of Donaldson and Sayne.
Thanks again to Effingham City Commissioner Libby Moeller for her work behind the scenes on this effort, and for keeping us up-to-date on progress on the measures.
