Full Text of SR0935 101st General Assembly
SR0935 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. Sylvester Smith Jr.; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Smith was born in Nita Yuma, Mississippi to | 5 | | Leona Dantzler and Sylvester Smith Sr. on
October 31, 1926; as | 6 | | a young man, he relocated to Chicago and settled in the | 7 | | Bronzeville neighborhood; he
joined the 44th St. Baptist | 8 | | Church, where he served
on the usher board; he married Naomi | 9 | | Hill in May of 1949 and served in the military from 1954 to | 10 | | 1956; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Smith worked for the Smith Transfer Company | 12 | | (Huber & Huber) for 42 years; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Smith graduated from Hope Bible College; in | 14 | | 1965, he was elected pastor of the newly-formed New Pisgah M.B. | 15 | | Church, which grew over the years to include successful day | 16 | | care and senior housing; he made educating children a priority | 17 | | and advocated for daycare and Headstart funding and | 18 | | legislation; he served as a mentor at Englewood High School and | 19 | | enjoyed being a positive role model and frequently gave the | 20 | | students motivational and
inspiring talks; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Smith was affectionately known as "Uncle |
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| 1 | | Junior"; he loved to repair cars and attended the Greer | 2 | | Mechanic School; he was elected president of the Baptist | 3 | | Minister's Alliance of Chicago and Vicinity for two terms; he | 4 | | loved to attend the yearly National Baptist Conventions; he was | 5 | | a world traveler and visited Israel, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the | 6 | | Dominican Republic, the Bahamas
and most major cities in the | 7 | | United States; he enjoyed taking cruises and was his children's | 8 | | biggest fan; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Smith was preceded in death by his wife of 62 | 10 | | years, Naomi; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Rev. Smith is survived by his children, Stanley | 12 | | (Ruthie), Gloria, Denise,
Pastor Wayne (Toi), and David | 13 | | (Rhonda); his sister, Ethel Wilson; his brother, Albert Smith; | 14 | | his grandchildren, Latreese, Bryan, Cha-chi, Chasty, and | 15 | | Adoria; and his great-grandchildren, Devon, Brayden, and
| 16 | | Myles; therefore, be it
| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 18 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 19 | | Rev. Sylvester Smith Jr. and extend our sincere condolences to | 20 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 21 | | further
| 22 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| 1 | | presented to the family of Rev. Smith as an expression of our | 2 | | deepest sympathy.
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