Full Text of SR1253 102nd General Assembly
SR1253 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Berta Louise Cowan Lightford of | 4 | | Chicago, who passed away on October 23, 2022; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford was born to Andy Cowan Jr. and | 6 | | Mary Frances Leslie Cowan in Huntsville, Alabama on November | 7 | | 19, 1925; she attended Springhill Grammar School and Council | 8 | | High School in Madison County, Alabama; she took welding | 9 | | classes at A&M College during World War II; she married Eddie | 10 | | Clifton Lightford on November 22, 1944, and they moved to | 11 | | Chicago in 1946, raising their children there for 32 years; | 12 | | and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford worked at Redstone Arsenal, a | 14 | | U.S. Army base, in Huntsville, Alabama; she became a housewife | 15 | | after marriage, which she loved as she and her husband were | 16 | | very family oriented; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford volunteered as block club | 18 | | president after becoming a widow; she then became a precinct | 19 | | captain, joining two of her daughters in politics; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford was committed to her faith; she | 21 | | grew up as a member of the Springhill Methodist AME Church; she |
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| 1 | | was later baptized at Mount Hebron Baptist Church in Chicago, | 2 | | where she often attended services with her daughters; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford enjoyed entertaining her family, | 4 | | traveling, fishing, watching soap operas, shopping, and | 5 | | decorating her home; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford was known for living her life on | 7 | | her own terms; she loved her family immensely and was | 8 | | endlessly proud of them and their accomplishments, happily | 9 | | sharing family stories with others; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford was preceded in death by her | 11 | | parents; her husband; her grandfather, Andy Cowan Sr.; her | 12 | | grandmother, Berta Timmons-Joyner Cowan; her cousin, Arthur | 13 | | Love Sr.; her brother, James Daniel "JD" Cowan; her | 14 | | brother-in-law, Ennis Lightford; and her best friend and | 15 | | sister-in-law, Delia Fitcheard Lightford; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Berta Lightford is survived by her children, | 17 | | Andrew Clark, Melvin (Barbara) Leon Sr., Carolyn (Paul), | 18 | | Pamela Olivia, and Mamie Frances; her grandchildren, Carmelita | 19 | | Patrice (Eric), Billy Arthur, Janon Monique, April Marie, | 20 | | Kimberly Ann (Eric), Michael Clark, Pamela Delores, Melvin | 21 | | (Sonya) Leon Jr., Curtis II, Carolyn Lightford, Jessica Lynn | 22 | | (Zachary), and Darryl Stephen; her 21 great-grandchildren; her |
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| 1 | | 12 great-great-grandchildren; her stepson, Arthur Lee | 2 | | (Joanne); her nine step-grandchildren; her nephews, Lynn | 3 | | Patrick Love and Virgil (Kathy) Blevins; a host of nieces, | 4 | | nephews, and cousins; her goddaughter, Deborah Ann Gamble; and | 5 | | her friends, Linton Johnson, Maria Branch, Michael Owens, and | 6 | | Curtis Owens Sr.; therefore, be it
| 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
| 9 | | Berta Louise Cowan Lightford and extend our sincere
| 10 | | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
| 11 | | her; and be it further
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
| 13 | | presented to the family of Berta Lightford as an expression of
| 14 | | our deepest sympathy.
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