HR0530 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0530 LRB103 35861 MST 65946 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Rev. Dr. Clifford Tyler, who passed away on November 19, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was born in Flint Hill, Virginia to Clifford Sr. and Annie Bell (Roberts) Tyler on August 31, 1924, the second oldest of seven siblings along with Lutitia Addison, James Tyler, Willia Mae Tyler, Georgia Chunn, Frances Graham, and Pauline Green; he attended elementary school in Flint Hill, and after seventh grade, he attended school in Manassas, Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler returned home after school and worked with his father as a mechanic; he then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and worked at American Steel & Wire; at the age of 19, he and his cousin, James, enlisted in the United States Army on June 3, 1943; he served in the Air Force as an aviation engineer during World War II and was honorably discharged on February 19, 1946; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler returned to the state of Virginia, where he later met and married Bertha Alsberry; he became father to her three children, Francis, Ruth, and Henry; he moved his family to Chicago in 1953; one of his first jobs was working with Perillo Automotives; he then became a mechanic for the United States Post Office; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler answered the call to ministry in 1957; prior to going into ministry, he served as a deacon at his church; he was asked to be the assistant pastor at First Timothy Missionary Baptist Church in 1958; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler met Lenora Mason when they both served as delegates at the Progressive National Baptist Convention; they married on December 4, 1960 and had two daughters, Alisa and Sheila; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was installed as pastor of First Timothy on April 28, 1968; he graduated from the Moody Bible Institute in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in theology, and he worked as a training and development coordinator in the Practical Christian Ministries Department; eventually, he became an instructor at Moody; he received a master's degree in education from Northeastern University in Chicago and continued his studies at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary; he left his full-time position with the Moody Bible Institute in 1981 to become the full-time pastor of First Timothy Baptist Church; he was installed on January 26, 1982; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler received an honorary doctorate from the Chicago Baptist Institute (CBI); during his more than 20 years of working at CBI, he served as a instructor, trustee, board chairman, vice president, and president; he also served as a chaplain for the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler married Lois Scott in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler's ministries extended to St. Louis, Wisconsin, Florida, Nebraska, Virginia, New York, Trinidad, and Kenya; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was proud of his Native American heritage; he served on the board of directors for the Christian Indian Ministries and the Native American Bible Academy in Ringold, Oklahoma; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler married Lela Hicks in October of 2004; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler held many leadership positions at the state and national level, which included, president of the Progressive Baptist State Convention of Illinois, organizer and president of the Department of State Presidents of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC), and president of the PNBC Midwest Region Congress of Christian Education; his professional affiliations included, the Chicago Baptist Association, the Baptist Minister's Union of Chicago, the Baptist Pastors Conference, the Progressive Baptist District Association, the Baptist State Convention of Illinois, Inc., the Union District Baptist Association, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Light Bearers Association of America, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler became pastor emeritus upon retiring in 2013, after 45 years of serving as pastor; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler received numerous awards for leadership and dedicated services; he loved to cook, garden, read his Bible, fish, and hunt; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was preceded in death by his parents, his wives, his brothers, his sisters, and two stepchildren; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler is survived by his daughters, Alisa, and Sheila; his stepdaughter, Ruth; his sister, Pauline; his grandchildren, Robert Jr. (Vondee), Kawiana, Jamelle (Derrick), Arianna, Morriah, and Shannon; four great-grandchildren; the First Timothy church family; and numerous relatives and friends whom he loved dearly; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Rev. Dr. Clifford Tyler and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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