Full Text of SR1199 100th General Assembly
SR1199 100TH 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 Charlene F. Bennett of Gibson City, who | 4 | | passed away on November 8,
2017; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett was born in Gibson City on July | 6 | | 16, 1922 to Oliver F. and Emma (Gilmore) Shirley, two of the | 7 | | first land-owning families of Ford
County; she was educated at | 8 | | the one-room Pleasant Valley
School near her family's farm in | 9 | | rural Gibson City; she graduated in 1940 as valedictorian from | 10 | | Drummer Township High School in Gibson
City; she earned her | 11 | | teaching certificate from Illinois State Normal University; | 12 | | and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett taught for seven years at the | 14 | | one-room Wantwood Country School south of Gibson City for the | 15 | | starting salary of $90 per month until she left to
raise her | 16 | | own family; she married Leonard L. Bennett on November 26,
1947 | 17 | | in Danville and together they had five children; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett was a lifelong teacher of | 19 | | children and returned
to education, spending seven years as a | 20 | | teaching assistant at the Gibson City
Grade School; she then | 21 | | worked for many years as an aide at the Busy Hands
Nursery | 22 | | School in Gibson City; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett was a devoted mother, | 2 | | grandmother, and great-grandmother
whose greatest joy was | 3 | | doting on, and spending time with, her
family; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett was a faithful and active member | 5 | | of the First
Christian Church of Gibson City for over 70 years, | 6 | | serving as a long-time
Sunday School teacher and the pianist | 7 | | for the Children's Choir, in addition to
volunteering for the | 8 | | church in many other capacities; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett was a dutiful gardener on her | 10 | | family's farm
northwest of Gibson City and was proud of her | 11 | | flowers, sweet corn, tomatoes,
potatoes, carrots, onions, | 12 | | green beans, and assorted other vegetables;
she would often | 13 | | include her garden's bounty in her home-cooked meals
of simple | 14 | | country recipes that were greatly enjoyed by her family; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett loved to play the piano and | 16 | | ensured that music
would play a defining role in the lives of | 17 | | her children; she enjoyed
listening to her growing family sing | 18 | | together at church or around a piano
during family gatherings; | 19 | | and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett spent nearly all of her 95 years | 21 | | within a few square miles in Ford County, as she
was born, |
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| 1 | | lived, and died in and around her beloved Gibson City; | 2 | | nonetheless, the pain of her loss extends far from the modest | 3 | | boundaries of Ford County; she touched the lives of countless | 4 | | people; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett was preceded in death by her | 6 | | parents and her
only sibling, Robert E. Shirley; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Charlene Bennett is survived by her sons, Bob | 8 | | (Barb) Bennett, Tom
(Kathy) Bennett, and Doug (Sheila) Bennett; | 9 | | her daughters, Wanda Driscoll and Carol (Jerry) | 10 | | Bennett-Barker; 15 grandchildren; and
15 great-grandchildren; | 11 | | therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 14 | | Charlene F. Bennett, and extend our sincere condolences to her | 15 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 16 | | further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the family of Charlene Bennett as an expression of | 19 | | our deepest sympathy.
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