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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Emilie C. St. John of Peoria, who passed
4away on February 26, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John was born in Arcadia, Michigan to
6Tilly (Neslund) and Fred O'Rorke on August 2, 1922; she
7graduated from Arcadia High School in 1939 at the age of 16;
8she earned an associate's degree from Grand Rapids Jr. College
9and graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of
10Science in Home Economics and a minor in chemistry; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John's first job was at the University
12of West Virginia in Morgantown as director of food services for
13the campus; she then accepted the position of Tea Room Director
14at the Y.W.C.A. in Peoria; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John married George Roswell in 1948 and
16became a homemaker; the marriage ended in divorce, and she
17returned to work in 1959, first at the Met Lab and then at the
18Y.W.C.A., where she became Youth Program Director; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John met John M. St. John in 1960, and
20they married a year later; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, By 1968, Emilie St. John had become the Y.W.C.A.'s
2Executive Director; under her leadership, the Ashanti Umoja
3Black Culture Center was created to promote activities for
4young African American teens; she was also intensely involved
5in the creation of a center for abused women in Peoria; and
 
6    WHEREAS, After retiring from the Y.W.C.A., Emilie St. John
7started a new occupation and worked at Jim Maloof Realtors,
8enjoying a successful real estate career spanning 20 years; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John and her husband, John, were avid
10sailors and long-standing members of the Ivy Club; one of their
11greatest sailing adventures came in 1998 when they traveled to
12South Africa by way of the Indian Ocean; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 2001, Emilie St. John began to support a dance
14project in Ethiopia which promoted programs for social welfare;
15over the years, she supported one of the young dancers, Meseret
16Yirga, and traveled overseas twice to support Meseret Yirga's
17social work; now, Meseret has become the first woman
18choreographer in Ethiopia; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John was a member of many local
20organizations in Peoria, including the Altursa Club, the As You
21Like It Club, the Peoria Art Guild, the Peoria Symphony,
22various bridge clubs, a book club, and her beloved Friday Night

 

 

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1Soup Group; she and John were members of the First United
2Methodist Church in Peoria; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John traveled all over the globe; at
4the age of 84, she made her last overseas trips to Singapore
5and Japan; of all her travels, Egypt was her favorite; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John had an enduring belief that making
7friends with people of different faiths, walks of life, and
8cultures would enhance and enrich her own life; she fiercely
9saw all that was right with the world, and there was never any
10room in her heart for resentments; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John was preceded in death by her
12husband of nearly 40 years, John, and her siblings Tom,
13Margaret, and Audrey; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Emilie St. John is survived by her daughter,
15Christine (Crispin Cole) St. John; five nieces; and four
16nephews; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
19Emilie C. St. John and extend our sincere condolences to her
20family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
21further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Emilie St. John as an expression of
3our deepest sympathy.