Full Text of HR0916 93rd General Assembly
HR0916 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Myrtle | 4 |
| Bernadine Gilliam Officer on April 23, 2004; and | 5 |
| WHEREAS, Myrtle Bernadine Gilliam was born on April 22, | 6 |
| 1923, in Okolona, Mississippi to Raymond G. Gilliam and Myrtle | 7 |
| Robinson Gilliam; sadly, her mother died three months
after her | 8 |
| birth; her maternal grandparents, B.I. and Florence Robinson, | 9 |
| reared her in
their home on Pearl Street in Jackson, | 10 |
| Mississippi; and
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| WHEREAS, She received her formal education from the | 12 |
| Jackson, Mississippi Public School
System and graduated from | 13 |
| Lanier High School in 1941; following graduation, she
spent her | 14 |
| college freshman year at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, | 15 |
| Mississippi; it was
there she met a handsome, young soldier | 16 |
| named Marion E. Officer who would become
her partner for life; | 17 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, They were united in Holy Matrimony April 25, 1944, | 19 |
| a few days
before he was deployed to Europe during World War | 20 |
| II; she moved to East St. Louis and lived with his parents | 21 |
| while waiting for his return; they were blessed with three
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| children, a daughter, Bernadette, and two sons, Carl and | 23 |
| Marion, Jr.; and | 24 |
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Officer was extremely instrumental in | 25 |
| assisting her husband when he succeeded
his parents as the | 26 |
| President of Officer Funeral Home in 1954; she made the | 27 |
| difficult
decision to leave her family in September 1956 to | 28 |
| attend Worsham College of Mortuary
Science in Chicago; she | 29 |
| received her degree in June of 1957; following a one
year | 30 |
| apprenticeship, she became a licensed funeral director and | 31 |
| embalmer in the State
of Illinois in 1958; following the death |
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| of her husband in 1989, she became the CEO of
the Officer | 2 |
| Funeral Homes; under her leadership, the firm continued the | 3 |
| legacy of
providing excellence in funeral service and service | 4 |
| to the community; and | 5 |
| WHEREAS, As a community leader, Mrs. Officer was involved | 6 |
| in numerous local and national
organizations including: Venus | 7 |
| Temple #1042 l.B. P.O.E. of W (charter member), Queen
Elizabeth | 8 |
| Chapter #16 Order of the Eastern Star, the East St. Louis | 9 |
| Women's Club,
and the Las Amigas Club; she was also a member of | 10 |
| a number of professional
organizations including: the | 11 |
| International Order of the Golden Rule, the National Funeral
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| Directors Association, St. Clair County Association of Family | 13 |
| Owned Funeral Homes,
St. Clair County Funeral Directors | 14 |
| Association, and the Missouri Funeral Directors and
Embalmers | 15 |
| Association; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Officer enjoyed three things; shopping,
more | 17 |
| shopping, and shopping until you drop; she was as happy | 18 |
| shopping at the Dollar
Store as she was uptown; when her health | 19 |
| prevented her from indulging her passion,
she found comfort in | 20 |
| QVC; and
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| WHEREAS, Mrs. Officer's greatest accomplishment was being | 22 |
| a mother and grandmother; she never
ceased teaching or | 23 |
| nurturing her family with wisdom and love; she was a quiet | 24 |
| tower of
determination and strength; and | 25 |
| WHEREAS, The passing of Myrde Bernadine Gilliam Officer | 26 |
| will be deeply felt by many, especially her loving children,
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| Ms. M. Bernadette Officer, Mayor Carl E. Officer (Lisa), and | 28 |
| Mr. Marion E. Officer, II,
(Adrienne); her grandchildren, | 29 |
| Melanie B. Officer, Marion E. Officer, III, and Carli E. | 30 |
| Officer;
her step-grandchildren, Roderick J. Lewis and Ryan J. | 31 |
| Lewis; her sister, Ramona Gilliam Roberts;
her second loving | 32 |
| family, Mrs. Ada N. Woodson, Mrs. Jocelyn Woodson Reed, Ms.
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| Natalie Woodson, Mr. Brandon W. Reed, and Mrs. Patricia A. | 2 |
| Thornton (Wayman); Rev.
Delancey H. Moore, Sr., (Debra), | 3 |
| Delancey H. Moore, II, and Darrington Moore; her cousins,
Mrs. | 4 |
| Annie Johnson (Jesse) and Mrs. Beverly Anderson (Maurice); her | 5 |
| many nieces,
nephews, and godchildren; her other relatives and | 6 |
| many friends; her St. Luke A.M.E. Church
family; and her loyal | 7 |
| and devoted staff; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 9 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 10 |
| mourn the death of Myrtle Bernadine Gilliam Officer along with | 11 |
| all who knew and loved her and extend our sincere condolences | 12 |
| to her family, friends, and community; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 |
| presented to the family of Myrtle Bernadine Gilliam as a token | 15 |
| of our deepest sympathy.
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