093_SR0066
LRB093 10126 KEF 11610 r
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of
3 Illinois were saddened to learn of the death of Helen Walz
4 Healy of the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago at 79 years of
5 age; and
6 WHEREAS, Mrs. Healy was raised with a brother and sister
7 in the South Shore neighborhood and attended Catholic schools
8 from kindergarten through college; in the early 1950s she
9 learned about a movement within the Catholic Church called
10 Opus Dei; and
11 WHEREAS, Opus Dei means "work of god" and it provided a
12 way of living that she found inspiring; through its
13 teachings, she discovered that her work could be a means of
14 practicing her faith to be closer to God; and
15 WHEREAS, In 1954, Mrs. Healy became one of the first
16 members of the U.S. branch of Opus Dei, which was founded in
17 Spain in the 1920s; and
18 WHEREAS, Mrs. Healy married Maurice Healy in 1948 and
19 they raised seven children; Mrs. Healy started a stationery
20 and bridal business in 1970, which she ran out of her home
21 until recently; along with her business she also put
22 considerable energy into Opus Dei activities; and
23 WHEREAS, In 1974, Mrs. Healy helped found the Willows
24 Academy, a private school for girls in 6th through 12th
25 grade; in 1977, she helped found Lexington College, a small
26 culinary school for women; both schools teach Opus Dei, with
27 its emphasis on getting closer to God through normal daily
28 activities; and
29 WHEREAS, In 1991, Mrs. Healy was part of the group that
30 pushed the Chicago archdiocese to reopen St. Mary of the
31 Angels Church and have Opus Dei run the facility; and
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1 WHEREAS, Over the years, Mrs. Healy was praised for her
2 efforts by the organizations she was associated with and was
3 honored by Lexington College, having a scholarship foundation
4 named after her; and
5 WHEREAS, Her passing will be deeply felt by all who knew
6 and loved her, especially her husband, Maurice; her four
7 sons, Maurice, Michael, John, and Joseph; her three
8 daughters, Mary Grace Healy, Mary Loretta Coultrip, and Mary
9 Florence Trunk; her 27 grandchildren; and her
10 great-grandchild; therefore, be it
11 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
12 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of
13 Helen Walz Healy and extend our sincere condolences to her
14 family and friends; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16 presented to the family of Helen Walz Healy with our deepest
17 sympathy.