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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to
4 the family and friends of Leroy Percy Jones, of Waukegan,
5 Illinois, who passed away on July 25, 2006; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Leroy Percy Jones was born January 22, 1916 in
7 Blanton, Mississippi, to Benjamin Franklin Jones II and
8 Virginia Jones; he was the youngest of eight children; he
9 accepted Christ at an early age under the ministerial
10 leadership of his grandfather, Benjamin F. Jones I, Pastor of
11 Jones Chapel Methodist Church; and
 
12     WHEREAS, He received his early education in Blanton
13 schools; after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the
14 United States Army, where he served in World War II and
15 continued to serve until he received an honorable discharge on
16 February 4, 1946; following his tour in the military he
17 enrolled at Alcorn State University where he received his
18 Bachelor of Science degree; later he received his Master of
19 Science degree from Jackson State University; and
 
20     WHEREAS, On September 11, 1948, he married his college
21 sweetheart, Dorothy Rose Caldwell; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Leroy Jones held his first teaching job in Leland,
23 Mississippi; there he became a member of St. James Methodist
24 Church and served faithfully until he moved to Arcola,
25 Mississippi due to a job promotion; in Arcola, he joined the
26 local A.M.E church where he served as Sunday School
27 Superintendent; and
 
28     WHEREAS, He worked as a school principal in Jonestown,
29 Mississippi, until he retired in 1978; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, He spent his entire life serving his community; he
2 was a lifetime member of the National Association for the
3 Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he served as
4 treasurer and secretary; he was a member of Phi Beta Sigma
5 Fraternity, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the
6 Alcorn Alumni Association, and served on the Board of
7 Director's of the Coahoma County HeadStart program; and
 
8     WHEREAS, He was dedicated to the cause of civil rights; he
9 was also a faithful member of Haven United Methodist Church,
10 Clarksdale, Mississippi, for over fifty years, where he served
11 as Sunday School teacher, a member of the finance committee, a
12 class leader, and a member of the Board of Trustees; he later
13 joined Grace United Methodist Church after moving to Memphis,
14 Tennessee to live with his son, and finally Shiloh Baptist
15 Church in Waukegan, where he was a faithful member of the
16 Timothy Sunday School class; and
 
17     WHEREAS, After his move to Waukegan he continued his
18 involvement with the NAACP and joined the Waukegan Exchange
19 Club; and
 
20     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his siblings,
21 Benjamin, William, Inez, and Emma, as well as his wife, Lela
22 Jones; and
 
23     WHEREAS, Leroy Percy Jones is survived by his former wife
24 and mother of his children, Dorothy Armsted; his children,
25 Russell (Alice) Jones, Gregory Jones, and Patricia Jones; his
26 three sisters, Beulah Sanifer, Elizabeth Pollard, and Lucille
27 Cunningham; his brother-in- Law, Robert Miles; his
28 sister-and-law, Alberta Jones; his grandchildren, Rushelle
29 Jones-Cyrus (Carlos), Russell Jones II (Asata), Nakia Milot,
30 Marc Jones, and Rushen Jones; his great-grandchildren; and a
31 host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3 we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
4 Leroy Percy Jones; and be it further
 
5     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6 presented to the family of Leroy Percy Jones.