SR0569 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0569 LRB100 12857 MST 26587 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Maya-Gabrielle Francesca Gary of Oak Park, who passed away on November 15, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary was born in Melrose Park to Thomas S. Gary and Evette F. Little on November 3, 1998; her family moved from the far south side of Chicago to the south side of Oak Park when she was three, where she lived most of her life; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary is the younger sister of her loving and very protective brother, Alexander T. Gary; a unique chemistry existed between them from early on, as she understood her brother as no other, being his counselor, collaborator, and emissary to the world; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary attended the West Suburban Montessori School beginning in 2001; she demonstrated early on that she was a very skilled learner, reading by age four and possessing a strong mathematical mind; she also attended Whittier Elementary School, Julian Middle School, and Oak Park and River Forest High School, spending her junior year abroad at Stuttgart High School in Germany; she looked forward to attending college at either an east or west coast university; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary was a talented performer, beginning as a singer in the Oak Park and River Forest Children's Choir; she participated in Julian Middle School's summer CAST (Communication Arts, Speech, and Theater) productions for four years; her first role was as a featured performer in the production "Smile"; these experiences instilled in her that when she entered middle school, she knew she wanted to be a part of the performing arts community year round, not just in the summers; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary was always very proud and grateful for all opportunities to perform no matter how big or small, with roles at Julian Middle School's CAST productions such as, Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet", Sister Sarah in "Guys and Dolls", and Charlotte in "Charlotte's Web"; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary later joined Oak Park and River Forest High School's show choir, Noteworthy; in the two years she was part of Noteworthy, they performed at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, and at a national competition at McKendree University in Lebanon near St. Louis, Missouri in 2015, winning many of the major awards; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary showed an affinity for travel early on when she went with her family to Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.; additionally, her father's military service took her to Europe, going from Amsterdam to Zurich, from the Austrian Alps to the Catalonian shore; her love of Europe's culture and history would leave a longing to visit again, even on a more permanent basis; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary's political mindset began to blossom when she arrived at Stuttgart High School at the same time as the influx of refugee arrivals throughout Germany; she demanded that she and her father "do something" to help; she persuaded her father to rethink his candidate choice for the United States Presidential election of 2016, something no one had ever done before; ensuring she was registered to vote, and casting her ballot for the first time, she proudly and happily voted for women candidates running for several offices in the November 8, 2016 election; she departed this life on November 15, 2016, two weeks after turning 18 and one week after voting in her first election; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary was a prolific writer of short stories, poems, and song lyrics, with several hundred pieces archived; she dreamed of possibly becoming a journalist or combining her love of writing and music; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary is remembered for her talent, intelligence, sass, beautiful spirit, and her infectious smile; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary was preceded in death by her grandparents, John Little, Lillian (Sharp) Reed, and Thomas Gary; and

WHEREAS, Maya Gary is survived by her parents, Evette Little and Thomas Gary; her brother, Alexander; her uncles and aunts, Keith, Michael, Stanley, Pat, and Sarah; her cousins, Neilson, Naomi, Ronnie, Donella, Monique, Jamal, Cheryl, Patricia, Danyell, and Yvette; and an innumerable amount of friends and family; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Maya-Gabrielle Francesca Gary, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Maya Gary as an expression of our deepest sympathy.