Full Text of SR1007 103rd General Assembly
SR1007 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR1007 | | LRB103 40772 LAW 73608 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Melody Lynn (Jackson) Turner of Oak | 4 | | Park, who passed away on May 2, 2023 at the age of 80; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner was born to Welles and Freida | 6 | | (Busch) Jackson in Austin, Texas, on August 3, 1942; she | 7 | | developed a love for music early in life, and her first | 8 | | instrument was the accordion, followed by the piano and | 9 | | violin; by age fifteen, she was also playing the organ in her | 10 | | first position at a church, with many others to follow; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner graduated from high school in | 12 | | Toledo, Ohio; she received a bachelor's degree in music from | 13 | | Indiana University; she later earned her master's degree from | 14 | | Union Theological Seminary; she began studying for a Ph.D. at | 15 | | the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign but ultimately | 16 | | decided to spend more time with her family and on her career, | 17 | | stepping away from the program; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, During her 20-year tenure at First Presbyterian | 19 | | Church in Springfield, Melody Turner met her future husband, | 20 | | Dale R. Turner; together, they had two daughters, Alison and | 21 | | Justine; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner worked at other religious | 2 | | institutions, including First Methodist and a synagogue, | 3 | | learning Hebrew at the latter to become more involved in | 4 | | services; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner founded the Springfield Oratorio | 6 | | Choir in 1971, which still exists today as the Springfield | 7 | | Choral Society; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner also discovered a passion for | 9 | | creating stained-glass windows while in Springfield; at | 10 | | Melotte Morse Studio, she worked on the State Capitol | 11 | | Building's dome restoration, styling the center seal herself; | 12 | | she also spent a considerable amount of time in a personal | 13 | | studio, which was built by her husband, where she created | 14 | | windows for their home and family; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner moved her family and her | 16 | | stained-glass studio to Oak Park in 1989, where she made her | 17 | | mark on local architecture through an extensive restoration of | 18 | | windows in a Frank Lloyd Wright home; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner took her performing arts talents to | 20 | | Chicago, becoming the music director and organist at Church of | 21 | | Our Savior in the Lincoln Park neighborhood; she retired after | 22 | | more than 20 years of service in 2012; before long, she came |
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| 1 | | out of retirement to accept the position of interim organist | 2 | | and music director at St. Paul Episcopal Church in Riverside, | 3 | | serving in that role until June 2022; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner taught piano and violin to children | 5 | | using the Suzuki method at a second in-home studio; she also | 6 | | accompanied music students of Michael Hining and performed in | 7 | | the West Suburban Symphony and the Symphony of Oak Park and | 8 | | River Forest; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner donated many of her stained-glass | 10 | | creations after she and her husband downsized from their home | 11 | | into an apartment; one of her final acts of service was | 12 | | teaching at the Oak Park Senior Citizens Center; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner enjoyed comedy, puzzles, reading, | 14 | | and her faith; her lifelong passions were her children and | 15 | | teaching music; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Melody Turner was preceded in death by her | 17 | | parents and her husband; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, At the time of her passing, Melody Turner was | 19 | | survived by her daughters, Alison Duray (Mark) and Justine | 20 | | Turner Smith (Mike); her grandchildren, Theodore Duray and | 21 | | Alden K. Smith; her siblings, Win Jackson, Tim Jackson, Robin |
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| 1 | | Sytnik, and Chris Jackson; and her nieces and nephews; | 2 | | therefore, be it | 3 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 4 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 5 | | Melody Lynn (Jackson) Turner and extend our sincere | 6 | | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 7 | | her; and be it further | 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to the family of Melody Turner as an expression of | 10 | | our deepest sympathy. |
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