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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of the Rev. Keith Johnson of New York, New
4York, who passed away on February 24, 2015; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rev. Johnson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in
61961 to Minnie and Robert Johnson; he graduated from Rantoul
7High School in 1979 and from the University of Illinois at
8Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in political
9science; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Rev. Johnson began working with the United States
11Social Security Administration in Detroit, Michigan and Key
12West, Florida; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Rev. Johnson married Ginny O'Hare in 1998; he and
14his family moved to Alexandria, Virginia so he could attend the
15Virginia Theological Seminary; while in Virginia, he coached
16Pop Warner and freshman and junior-varsity football; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Rev. Johnson was ordained in 2001; he began
18serving as rector of the Church of St. Matthew's and as an
19assistant at St. Paul's Church, both in Delray Beach, Florida;
20from 2003 to 2008, he served as rector of St. Andrew's in Ben
21Lomond, California, and while there he served on the board of

 

 

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1Valley Church United Missions; he then became an assistant
2priest at Holy Trinity in Clearwater, Florida and then at St.
3Luke's in New Orleans, before serving at Harlem's St. Philip's
4Church beginning in 2012; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rev. Johnson ministered to parolees at the Harlem
6Community Justice Center; he established "Warriors of a Dream",
7a neighborhood anti-violence youth initiative, and a local
8chapter of Integrity LGBT at St. Philip's Church; he rode on
9the Episcopal float in the annual Greenwich Village Gay Pride
10Parade and helped provide meals to the homeless in Marcus
11Garvey Park on Sundays; he was one of 6 fellows in the Faith
12and Justice Fellowship program under the Federation of
13Protestant Welfare and Agencies and New York Theological
14Seminary; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Rev. Johnson is survived by his wife, Ginny; his
16step-children, Edward and Sarah; his parents; his sister,
17Eliska and her husband, Marco Paratore; and his extended
18family; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
21the Rev. Keith Johnson, and extend our sincere condolences to
22his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
23further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Rev. Johnson as an expression of our
3deepest sympathy.