Full Text of SR0566 95th General Assembly
SR0566 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of Josephine Leah Bulger Lewis of Chicago, | 4 |
| who passed away on February 19, 2008; and
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| WHEREAS, She was born on March 9, 1928, the second oldest | 6 |
| of six children born to Idella Atkins and Horace Ward Bulger, | 7 |
| Sr., in Chicago; she grew up on the South Side of Chicago where | 8 |
| she attended Cosmopolitan Community Church; Josephine | 9 |
| confessed her belief in Jesus Christ at an early age, was | 10 |
| baptized, and began her
Christian journey; she attended | 11 |
| Doolittle Elementary School and graduated Valedictorian of her | 12 |
| eighth grade class; she continued her education at Englewood | 13 |
| High School and Wilson Junior College; she met her beloved | 14 |
| husband John Lewis II and after a short courtship they were | 15 |
| married at Cosmopolitan Community Church on June 22, 1947; and
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| WHEREAS, Josephine continued her education at Roosevelt | 17 |
| University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in | 18 |
| Education in 1965 while working at Illinois Bell Telephone | 19 |
| Company; after graduation, Josephine taught at Stagg | 20 |
| Elementary School for a few years; while a member at Arnette | 21 |
| A.M.E. Church, she developed a close relationship with Reverend | 22 |
| Evelyn Hooks, who suggested to Josephine to pray and ask God | 23 |
| for His will; through prayer and supplication Josephine |
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| received the answer to her prayer and was set apart as a | 2 |
| Deaconess in the African Methodist Church in 1977; and
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| WHEREAS, In the early 80's Josephine and John transferred | 4 |
| their membership to Maple Park United Methodist Church, where | 5 |
| she became active in various ministries in the church, | 6 |
| including the Chancel Choir, Building Fund Committee, United | 7 |
| Methodist Women, Stephen's Ministry, and Worship Committee; | 8 |
| she completed the training required by the Northern Illinois | 9 |
| Conference and was the first Deaconess in the Northern Illinois | 10 |
| Conference; and
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| WHEREAS, She founded Phoebe's Place, a senior drop-in | 12 |
| center, over 20 years ago, in Maple Park United Methodist | 13 |
| Church;
Hidden Treasures was established in 1996, a day care | 14 |
| center for those suffering with Alzheimer's Disease; she | 15 |
| received many awards and honors for her hard work, including | 16 |
| being named the Coca Cola Person of the Month; named by Mayor | 17 |
| Daley and the Chicago Department on Aging as an | 18 |
| African-American History Making Senior; saluted by Channel 5 | 19 |
| (NBC Chicago) with a Lifetime Achievement and Commitment to | 20 |
| Enhancing Lives to Citizens in Chicago; and she was honored by | 21 |
| Channel 7's (ABC Chicago) Harry Porterfield, who saluted Jo as | 22 |
| Someone You Should Know; and
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| WHEREAS, She was preceded in death by her son John H. Lewis |
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| III; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, Josephine Lewis is survived by her husband, John | 3 |
| H. Lewis II; her son, Ronald K. Lewis (Doris Lewis); her | 4 |
| daughter, Cheryl P. Lewis; her beloved daughter-in-law, Vivian | 5 |
| M. Lewis; her two granddaughters, Kimberly Davis and Sequoya | 6 |
| Lewis; her great-granddaughter, Christian A.M. Davis; her | 7 |
| sister, Patricia Bell-Phillips (Romeo); her brother, Horace W. | 8 |
| Bulger II; a host of nieces and nephews, great nieces and | 9 |
| nephews, several cousins, and a host of close friends; | 10 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 12 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 13 |
| her family and friends, the passing of Josephine Lewis; and be | 14 |
| it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 |
| presented to the family of Josephine Lewis as a symbol of our | 17 |
| sincere sympathy.
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