SR0163 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0163 LRB101 11268 MST 56605 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Rev. Dr. Mary Climons Lacey of Waukegan, who passed away on February 13, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey grew up in Mississippi with nine siblings; she and her family formed the Cradle Roll Singers and toured the country performing gospel songs; she recorded her first song, If I Can Help Somebody, on the Hummingbird label when she was 19; she recorded numerous other songs and was written about in Ebony and Jet magazines; she held an annual concert at Shiloh Baptist Church, which First Lady Betty Ford attended in 1976; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was a social activist and marched alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey married William, and they settled in Waukegan, where she worked at the Great Lakes Naval Station; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was ordained as a pastor, and, in 1997, earned a Doctorate of Humanity from Trinity Seminary in Denver; she earned a certificate in social work and was a foster parent; she estimated that she had helped raise about 5,000 children over 32 years; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey founded Mary's Mission, a homeless shelter, in Waukegan in 1987; she started volunteering at the Lake County jail in 2002, where she would give motivational talks and pray with the inmates; she held an annual Christmas parade from her mission to the jail, where she and volunteers would pass out toys to the children of inmates, while also providing hams or turkeys to the families to enjoy at their holiday meals; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was also a hat designer and beautician and made elegant hats for "church ladies", though she is best known as a spiritual person who spent her life helping others; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was preceded in death by her husband, William; and

WHEREAS, Mary Lacey is survived by her son, William Jr., and her grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Rev. Dr. Mary Climons Lacey 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 Mary Lacey as an expression of our deepest sympathy.