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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 learned with regret of the death of Maria Teresa Alvarado Avila
4 of St. Petersburg's Beach, Florida, on Sunday, February 1,
5 2004; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Ms. Avila was born on January 7, 1914 in El Paso,
7 Texas to Maria Prieto and Mercedes Alvarado Bernal; she moved
8 to Chicago in 1930; during The Great Depression, she sold
9 homemade ice cream, sweet potatoes, and paper shopping bags
10 with handles on Maxwell Street; she also worked at the Nabisco
11 Cookie Factory located on Polk Street and helped her
12 sister-in-law run Bob's Grocery Store located near Taylor in
13 the Old Italian neighborhood; and
 
14     WHEREAS, She met Frank Mosqueda Parocua Avila in El Paso,
15 Texas and married him in 1936 in Chicago; they had 4 children
16 and later divorced; when he remarried, she gained 3 stepsons
17 that she cared for in her home; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Ms. Avila served as a precinct captain for the 5th
19 Precinct of the 46th Ward when she and her family lived in the
20 Wrigley section of Lakeview in Chicago; she also worked in the
21 old 1st Ward (before redistricting) for about 10 years and the
22 22nd Ward in Chicago; she knew everyone in her precincts by
23 name; her children often "walked the precincts" to get out the
24 votes; after years and years of this kind of work for others,
25 Ms. Avila was especially excited when her eldest son, Frank
26 Avila, was elected and installed as Commissioner of the Water
27 Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in the fall of 2002;
28 and
 
29     WHEREAS, Ms. Avila acted as a kind of social worker and
30 helped many people to obtain various social services; she also
31 worked for many years and retired as an employee for the Office

 

 

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1 of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County; because she
2 was bilingual, she often translated Spanish and English for
3 judges, lawyers, law enforcement officers, and other people in
4 the courts and offices; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Following her retirement from the Office of the
6 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, she moved to St.
7 Petersburg's Beach, Florida; she enjoyed a special trip back to
8 El Paso, Texas to reunite with her many Alvarado cousins; she
9 always owned dogs, including King and Chewie; she had a hearty,
10 deep laugh that will not be forgotten; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The passing of Maria Teresa Alvarado Avila has
12 been deeply felt by many, especially her sister, Lala Carvajal;
13 her daughter, Mary Theresa Avila Pabon; her sons, Commissioner
14 of Water Reclamation Frank (Sherry) Avila, Richard Avila, and
15 Daniel Avila; her stepsons, Russell Metzger (Liane) Avila,
16 Richard Frank Metzger Avila (Diane Allard), and Robert Metzger
17 Avila (Darlene Meinke); her grandchildren, Anthony Pabon, Rich
18 Higgins Avila, Frank B. Avila, Quinn Avila, Audrey Avila, Dan
19 Avila, Brandi Avila Valdez, and Robert Avila; her 8
20 step-grandchildren; her 6 great-grandchildren; her 3
21 step-great-grandchildren; and her numerous nieces and nephews;
22 therefore, be it
 
23     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
24 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
25 Maria Teresa Alvarado Avila, and we extend our deepest sympathy
26 to her friends, family, and all who knew and loved her; and be
27 it further
 
28     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
29 presented to the family of Maria Teresa Alvarado Avila as an
30 expression of our sincere condolences.