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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois State Senate are
3saddened to learn of the death of Ramona "Mona" C. McNeese of
4Oak Park, Illinois, who passed away on January 7, 2022 at the
5age of 88; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese was born in Toledo, Ohio on July 12,
71933, surviving through the depths of the Great Depression;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese graduated from the University of
10Toledo in 1955, shortly before taking the first flight of her
11life to Japan to marry her college boyfriend and work as a
12substitute teacher on a U.S. Army base; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese moved back to the U.S. following her
14work in Japan; she settled in Oak Park to start her career as a
15kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary School; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese proudly served as principal at
17Whittier Elementary School in Oak Park, becoming the first
18female principal in District 97 history; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese later served as principal at Madison
20and Jackson Elementary Schools in Elmhurst District 205, all

 

 

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1while raising her children and earning two master's degrees
2and later her PhD in Public Policy Analysis from the
3University of Illinois at Chicago at the age of 53; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese married Dr. James McNeese, in 1976,
5and they traveled around the world together; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese retired from education in 1995,
7after which she continued to devote her time and love to her
8family and her three grandsons; and
 
9    WHEREAS, As an active member of her community, Mona
10McNeese was well involved in local politics; she assisted
11first as a volunteer and then as the Deputy Committeewoman for
12the Democratic Party of Oak Park; she once looked after Malia
13and Sasha Obama while Michelle Obama was out campaigning for
14her husband, then State Senator Barack Obama, and at times
15also helped shuttle Michelle around the state; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In addition to her other accomplishments, Mona
17McNeese read every Pulitzer Prize winning book, which was said
18to earn her a commendation in a column of the Chicago Tribune;
19and
 
20    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese was preceded in death by her
21husband, Dr. James McNeese, and her siblings, Ardis (George)

 

 

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1Wollenweber, Kenneth (Carol) Leininger, and Albert N.
2Leininger; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Mona McNeese is survived by her children, Robin
4(Joseph Picone) Zimmerman, Dana (Michael) Murphy, Amy McNeese,
5and Terry (Karen Farmer) McNeese; her three grandsons, Tom
6(Lauren Meleney), Dan (Carly Neville) and Jack (Kelly Hickey)
7Murphy; and her brother, Paul (Sherri) Leininger; therefore,
8be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
11Ramona "Mona" C. McNeese and extend our sincere condolences to
12her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the family of Mona McNeese as an expression of our
16deepest sympathy.