HR0644LRB099 13182 GRL 37078 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate Myrtle Rice on the
4occasion of her 100th birthday on June 30, 2015; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Myrtle Rice was born on June 30, 1915, the ninth
6of the 10 children born in her family; she was always
7persistent, even from a young age; in 1920, at the age of 5,
8she spent time in a darkened, lonely room in the Peoria
9Pestilence House fighting small pox; while there, she remembers
10being fed from trays pushed under a small opening at the bottom
11of the doors; her caretakers waited to see if the little girl
12would make it, which she did; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Myrtle Rice taught herself to drive a car in 1929,
14at the age of 14, observing carefully from the back seat how
15others did it; when her father needed a driver, she volunteered
16and he said "show me", which she did; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Myrtle Rice married the love of her life, Bob
18Rice, in 1946; the marriage lasted more than 64 years until its
19end after Bob's battle with Alzheimer's disease with his loving
20wife by his side; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Myrtle Rice had 2 sons at the ages of 17 and 19;

 

 

HR0644- 2 -LRB099 13182 GRL 37078 r

1her second son was one of the first to be delivered by
2caesarean section at a Peoria hospital in 1934; her son Tom
3passed away at the age of 63, and her son Jim survives and is 80
4years old; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In her mid-20's, Myrtle Rice headed to San
6Francisco, working in the city's naval shipyards for 4 years
7during World War II; she worked as a driver for naval officers
8and occasionally drove semi-trucks to pick up the returning
9sailors from the docks; she read a lot of books while she
10waited in the jeep for the naval officers she drove for; the
11country had asked for her help and she obliged; and
 
12    WHEREAS, It was a proud moment in Myrtle Rice's life to
13have shaken hands with both John and Bobby Kennedy on the
14campaign trail when they stopped at her family's restaurant in
15East Peoria in 1960; she remembers the Kennedy boys'
16handsomeness; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Myrtle Rice lived a full and independent life in
18her central Illinois home, cutting the grass on her riding
19mower, until just last year; however, her heart issues and
20pulmonary problems have not seemed to slow her down much; and
 
21    WHEREAS, On June 1, 2015, Myrtle Rice moved to an
22independent living facility in Pekin; in the same month, she

 

 

HR0644- 3 -LRB099 13182 GRL 37078 r

1once again passed her driver's license test; she didn't need a
2driver's license when she began driving in 1929; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Myrtle Rice was a dedicated, loving daughter to
4her mother, who passed away in 1971; she has worked hard and
5productively her whole life and remains fiercely independent;
6she is blessed with many grandchildren and
7great-grandchildren, who threw her a party to celebrate her
8first 100 years at the end of June of 2015; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11congratulate Myrtle Rice on the occasion of her 100th birthday
12and wish her many happy and healthy years to come; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to Myrtle Rice as an expression of our esteem and
16respect.