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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Donna Mae
4(nee Smith) Watson, who passed away on August 25, 2013; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Donna Watson was born in East Saint Louis on May
65, 1937 to Wiley E. and Ethel (nee Rigney) Smith, Jr.; she
7graduated from Dupo Community High School on May 27, 1955; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Donna Watson enlisted in the United States Army on
9April 25, 1957 and completed her basic military training at
10Fort McCellan, Alabama on July 3, 1957; she qualified in the
11Teletype Operation Course at the U.S. Army Southeastern Signal
12School in Fort Gordon, Georgia on August 30, 1957; she received
13the Good Conduct Medal during her service and was a member of
14the Women's Army Corps until her honorable discharge on April
1524, 1959, achieving the rank of Specialist 4; she was proud
16that she served her country, and being a veteran became
17especially important to her in her later years; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Donna Watson married George E. Watson at the First
19Baptist Church in Wood River on August 26, 1960; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Donna Watson was employed as a Mental Health
21Technician IV at the Alton Mental Health Center, retiring in

 

 

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11999; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Donna Watson believed in the importance of
3education, graduating from Lewis and Clark Community College in
41973 with an Associate of Arts Degree, graduating with honors;
5she had an inherent love of politics and often shared her
6earliest memories of listening to both the Democratic and
7Republican conventions on the radio as a small child; her
8interest in politics continued into adulthood as she served as
9a Republican Precinct Committeewoman in the early 1970s; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Donna Watson's most cherished memories were of
11helping her mother raise her younger siblings, Sarah "Cindy"
12and Elsa, and then when she became a mother, raising her own
13children; she spent many summers at Van Preter Park in East
14Alton, watching her daughters and sons play softball and
15baseball; she felt her greatest achievements were her children
16and grandchildren; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Donna Watson was preceded in death by her parents;
18her husband, George; her maternal grandparents, Edward and Anna
19Rigney; and her paternal grandparents, Wiley E. and Elsa M.
20Smith; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Donna Watson is survived by her daughters, Stacia
22(Leonard) Woods and Donna (Steven) Pantone; her sons, Todd

 

 

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1(Erin) Watson and Maxx (fiancee Jeanette Kassay) Watson; her
2grandchildren, Rigney Sanders, Matthew Sanders, Donna "Toni"
3Pantone, Megan Watson, Zackary Watson, Braydon Hensley, Jadyn
4Watson, Emily Watson, Parker Watson, Reily Kassay, and
5Christian Kassay; her sisters, Sarah "Cindy" (Daniel) Robien
6and Elsa (James) Lewis; and her nieces, nephews, great-nieces,
7and great-nephews; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10we mourn the passing of Donna Mae Watson and extend our sincere
11condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
12her; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
14presented to the family of Donna Watson as an expression of our
15deepest sympathy.