Full Text of SR0191 101st General Assembly
SR0191 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 Emilie C. St. John of Peoria, who passed | 4 | | away on February 26, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John was born in Arcadia, Michigan to | 6 | | Tilly (Neslund) and Fred O'Rorke on August 2, 1922; she | 7 | | graduated from Arcadia High School in 1939 at the age of 16; | 8 | | she earned an associate's degree from Grand Rapids Jr. College | 9 | | and graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of | 10 | | Science in Home Economics and a minor in chemistry; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John's first job was at the University | 12 | | of West Virginia in Morgantown as director of food services for | 13 | | the campus; she then accepted the position of Tea Room Director | 14 | | at the Y.W.C.A. in Peoria; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John married George Roswell in 1948 and | 16 | | became a homemaker; the marriage ended in divorce, and she | 17 | | returned to work in 1959, first at the Met Lab and then at the | 18 | | Y.W.C.A., where she became Youth Program Director; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John met John M. St. John in 1960, and | 20 | | they married a year later; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, By 1968, Emilie St. John had become the Y.W.C.A.'s | 2 | | Executive Director; under her leadership, the Ashanti Umoja | 3 | | Black Culture Center was created to promote activities for | 4 | | young African American teens; she was also intensely involved | 5 | | in the creation of a center for abused women in Peoria; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, After retiring from the Y.W.C.A., Emilie St. John | 7 | | started a new occupation and worked at Jim Maloof Realtors, | 8 | | enjoying a successful real estate career spanning 20 years; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John and her husband, John, were avid | 10 | | sailors and long-standing members of the Ivy Club; one of their | 11 | | greatest sailing adventures came in 1998 when they traveled to | 12 | | South Africa by way of the Indian Ocean; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, In 2001, Emilie St. John began to support a dance | 14 | | project in Ethiopia which promoted programs for social welfare; | 15 | | over the years, she supported one of the young dancers, Meseret | 16 | | Yirga, and traveled overseas twice to support Meseret Yirga's | 17 | | social work; now, Meseret has become the first woman | 18 | | choreographer in Ethiopia; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John was a member of many local | 20 | | organizations in Peoria, including the Altursa Club, the As You | 21 | | Like It Club, the Peoria Art Guild, the Peoria Symphony, | 22 | | various bridge clubs, a book club, and her beloved Friday Night |
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| 1 | | Soup Group; she and John were members of the First United | 2 | | Methodist Church in Peoria; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John traveled all over the globe; at | 4 | | the age of 84, she made her last overseas trips to Singapore | 5 | | and Japan; of all her travels, Egypt was her favorite; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John had an enduring belief that making | 7 | | friends with people of different faiths, walks of life, and | 8 | | cultures would enhance and enrich her own life; she fiercely | 9 | | saw all that was right with the world, and there was never any | 10 | | room in her heart for resentments; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John was preceded in death by her | 12 | | husband of nearly 40 years, John, and her siblings Tom, | 13 | | Margaret, and Audrey; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Emilie St. John is survived by her daughter, | 15 | | Christine (Crispin Cole) St. John; five nieces; and four | 16 | | nephews; 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 | | Emilie C. St. John and extend our sincere condolences to her | 20 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 21 | | further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the family of Emilie St. John as an expression of | 3 | | our deepest sympathy.
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