Full Text of SR0163 101st General Assembly
SR0163 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Rev. Dr. Mary Climons Lacey of Waukegan, | 4 | | who passed away on February 13, 2019; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey grew up in Mississippi with nine | 6 | | siblings; she and her family formed the Cradle Roll Singers and | 7 | | toured the country performing gospel songs; she recorded her | 8 | | first song, If I Can Help Somebody, on the Hummingbird label | 9 | | when she was 19; she recorded numerous other songs and was | 10 | | written about in Ebony and Jet magazines; she held an annual | 11 | | concert at Shiloh Baptist Church, which First Lady Betty Ford | 12 | | attended in 1976; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was a social activist and marched | 14 | | alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey married William, and they settled in | 16 | | Waukegan, where she worked at the Great Lakes Naval Station; | 17 | | and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was ordained as a pastor, and, in 1997, | 19 | | earned a Doctorate of Humanity from Trinity Seminary in Denver; | 20 | | she earned a certificate in social work and was a foster | 21 | | parent; she estimated that she had helped raise about 5,000 |
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| 1 | | children over 32 years; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey founded Mary's Mission, a homeless | 3 | | shelter, in Waukegan in 1987; she started volunteering at the | 4 | | Lake County jail in 2002, where she would give motivational | 5 | | talks and pray with the inmates; she held an annual Christmas | 6 | | parade from her mission to the jail, where she and volunteers | 7 | | would pass out toys to the children of inmates, while also | 8 | | providing hams or turkeys to the families to enjoy at their | 9 | | holiday meals; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was also a hat designer and beautician | 11 | | and made elegant hats for "church ladies", though she is best | 12 | | known as a spiritual person who spent her life helping others; | 13 | | and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey was preceded in death by her husband, | 15 | | William; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Mary Lacey is survived by her son, William Jr., | 17 | | and her grandchildren; therefore, be it
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 19 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 20 | | Rev. Dr. Mary Climons Lacey and extend our sincere condolences | 21 | | to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be |
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| 1 | | it further
| 2 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 3 | | presented to the family of Mary Lacey as an expression of our | 4 | | deepest sympathy.
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