HR0347 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0347 LRB104 13676 ECR 26341 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Mary Aster Bailey of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Mary Aster Bailey was born to Joe Morrow and Evelyn Avant (Waddell) in Grand Junction, Tennessee; she attended school through ninth grade, leaving high school to work as a sharecropper on the Ames Plantation in Grand Junction; she married Robert Eugene Bailey, and they raised their children in the Washington Heights community of Chicago, where she remained a resident; and

WHEREAS, Mary Aster Bailey was a gifted hairstylist, a talented seamstress, and a cat lover who also selflessly contributed to the well-being of those around her, especially her grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Mary Aster Bailey was a devoutly religious woman and the eldest member of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church on the South Side of Chicago, where she had been a member for 65 years and served as lead singer of the choir; and

WHEREAS, Mary Aster Bailey's journey through life was marked by resilience, courage, entrepreneurship, and an unwavering commitment to justice, community, and spirit; and

WHEREAS, Mary Aster Bailey Bailey was the wife of Robert Eugene Bailey for 65 years; the mother of Valarie Ann Ammons, Chessie Smith, Wilbert Bailey, and Raython Bailey; the grandmother of 24; the great-grandmother of 36; the great-great-grandmother of 14; and the owner of a long line of cats; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Mary Aster Bailey 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 Aster Bailey as an expression of our deepest sympathy.