HR0561 LRB094 12707 HSS 47551 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Rafael
4 "Paloma" Rios on May 7, 2005; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Mr. Rios was born in 1942 in Caguas, Puerto Rico,
6 and lived with his grandparents; in 1959, he moved to the city
7 of Chicago, where he met his wife, Yolanda Rios, whom he
8 married in 1963; they had two children, Rafael and Yvonne; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Mr. Rios was a contributor to the baseball teams
10 in Humboldt Park for years; he supported all of the teams, from
11 the "Pampers" to the adult teams; he also instituted a teen
12 pageant, which provided a sense of belonging and identity to
13 the young women who participated; and
 
14     WHEREAS, He was president of the Puerto Rican Parade from
15 1981 to 1983 and again from 1998 to 2000; among his many
16 important contributions, he had advocated the electoral
17 process for voting for the president of the Puerto Rican
18 Parade, along with developing the parade festivities; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Mr. Rios was a founding father of El Rincon
20 Community Clinic; he served the Humboldt Park community as an
21 Executive Director for 33 years; he negotiated for this clinic
22 to be a "safe zone", where all in need of treatment were
23 welcomed; and
 
24     WHEREAS, He was known as a great leader among the Puerto
25 Rican community and served his community during his entire
26 life; he received many awards throughout the years; recently he
27 was given an Honorary Award from the Logan Square Chamber of
28 Commerce as a renown Latino leader in the community; and
 
29     WHEREAS, The passing of Rafael "Paloma" Rios has been

 

 

HR0561 - 2 - LRB094 12707 HSS 47551 r

1 deeply felt by many, especially his wife of 41 years, Yolanda;
2 his son, Rafael, and future bride, Lysette Medina; his
3 daughter, Yvonne, and her husband, Jose Carmona; his
4 grandchildren, Shantae, Jose, and Margarita; and his
5 great-grandchild, Steven; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8 we mourn the passing of Rafael "Paloma" Rios, and we extend our
9 sincere condolences to his family, friends, community, and all
10 who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to his family as an expression of our sorrow for the
13 passing of their loved one.