|
| | SR0832 | | LRB102 26248 ECR 36113 r |
|
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
|
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois State Senate are |
| 3 | | saddened to learn of the death of Ramona "Mona" C. McNeese of |
| 4 | | Oak Park, Illinois, who passed away on January 7, 2022 at the |
| 5 | | age of 88; and
|
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese was born in Toledo, Ohio on July 12, |
| 7 | | 1933, surviving through the depths of the Great Depression; |
| 8 | | and
|
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese graduated from the University of |
| 10 | | Toledo in 1955, shortly before taking the first flight of her |
| 11 | | life to Japan to marry her college boyfriend and work as a |
| 12 | | substitute teacher on a U.S. Army base; and
|
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese moved back to the U.S. following her |
| 14 | | work in Japan; she settled in Oak Park to start her career as a |
| 15 | | kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary School; and
|
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese proudly served as principal at |
| 17 | | Whittier Elementary School in Oak Park, becoming the first |
| 18 | | female principal in District 97 history; and
|
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese later served as principal at Madison |
| 20 | | and Jackson Elementary Schools in Elmhurst District 205, all |
|
| | SR0832 | - 2 - | LRB102 26248 ECR 36113 r |
|
|
| 1 | | while raising her children and earning two master's degrees |
| 2 | | and later her PhD in Public Policy Analysis from the |
| 3 | | University of Illinois at Chicago at the age of 53; and
|
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese married Dr. James McNeese, in 1976, |
| 5 | | and they traveled around the world together; and
|
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese retired from education in 1995, |
| 7 | | after which she continued to devote her time and love to her |
| 8 | | family and her three grandsons; and
|
| 9 | | WHEREAS, As an active member of her community, Mona |
| 10 | | McNeese was well involved in local politics; she assisted |
| 11 | | first as a volunteer and then as the Deputy Committeewoman for |
| 12 | | the Democratic Party of Oak Park; she once looked after Malia |
| 13 | | and Sasha Obama while Michelle Obama was out campaigning for |
| 14 | | her husband, then State Senator Barack Obama, and at times |
| 15 | | also helped shuttle Michelle around the state; and
|
| 16 | | WHEREAS, In addition to her other accomplishments, Mona |
| 17 | | McNeese read every Pulitzer Prize winning book, which was said |
| 18 | | to earn her a commendation in a column of the Chicago Tribune; |
| 19 | | and
|
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese was preceded in death by her |
| 21 | | husband, Dr. James McNeese, and her siblings, Ardis (George) |
|
| | SR0832 | - 3 - | LRB102 26248 ECR 36113 r |
|
|
| 1 | | Wollenweber, Kenneth (Carol) Leininger, and Albert N. |
| 2 | | Leininger; and
|
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Mona McNeese is survived by her children, Robin |
| 4 | | (Joseph Picone) Zimmerman, Dana (Michael) Murphy, Amy McNeese, |
| 5 | | and Terry (Karen Farmer) McNeese; her three grandsons, Tom |
| 6 | | (Lauren Meleney), Dan (Carly Neville) and Jack (Kelly Hickey) |
| 7 | | Murphy; and her brother, Paul (Sherri) Leininger; therefore, |
| 8 | | be it
|
| 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL |
| 10 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 11 | | Ramona "Mona" C. McNeese and extend our sincere condolences to |
| 12 | | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it |
| 13 | | further
|
| 14 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 15 | | presented to the family of Mona McNeese as an expression of our |
| 16 | | deepest sympathy.
|