SR0456 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0456 LRB094 14161 HSS 49066 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Reverend Willie Davis Melton on Sunday, September 18, 2005; and

WHEREAS, He was born on February 20, 1938, in Tutwiler, Mississippi, to the late Walter and Katie Mae Melton; he relocated to Gary, Indiana, in the early 1950s and worked for USX Gary Works and Blast Furnace, retiring in February of 2000 with 32 years of service; and

WHEREAS, He became a Christian at an early age and united with New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Gary, where he served in several auxiliaries; he later joined the Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church and was fully ordained on April 11, 1993, and was appointed pastor upon the death of Reverend J. Jones Jr.; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents; both maternal and paternal grandparents; his sister, Dora; his brother, Walter; his niece, Lorraine Blair; and his great-nephew, Oscar Kelly Jr.; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Reverend Melton has been deeply felt by many, especially his sisters, Charlotte (Robert) Miller, Katie Mae Blair, Ruth Cooley, Corrine Fairow, and Ernestine Melton; his brothers, Eddie Melton and Lendal (Rochelle) Melton; his daughters, Timi (Floyd) Boyd, Towana Melton, Evangelist Brenda (Cubby) Gray, and Andrea (Jeffrey) Tucker; his sons, Robert Stinneth and Timothy Melton; his eight grandchildren; his two great-grandchildren; his aunts, Maggie Peterson, Lillie Davis, and Geneva; and his many other relatives and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Reverend Willie Davis Melton, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to his family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.