SR0476 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0476 LRB098 12855 MST 47347 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Birdia Ruth (Woods) Hawthorne of Alton, who passed away on July 6, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hawthorne was born on September 9, 1947, in Carthage, Mississippi, to Lovie (Tate) and Earnest Woods; she was raised in Alton and graduated from Alton Senior High School and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; she married Leonard E. Hawthorne on August 7, 1971; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hawthorne loved literature and taught English and reading at Central Junior High School, West Middle School, and East Middle School in Alton; she retired in May 2003 after 34 years as a teacher; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hawthorne was a dedicated volunteer and worked with several organizations in the Alton community, including the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, the Madison County Urban League Guild, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Back to School Committee, the Charmaine Chapman Society of the United Way of Greater Saint Louis, the Illinois Retired Teachers Association, Madison County Unit 1, the Oasis Shelter for Women and Children, and the Women's History Coalition; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hawthorne was an active member of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church in Alton, where she served with the usher, scholarship, beautification, and kitchen ministries; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hawthorne was preceded in death by her father, Earnest; her maternal grandparents, Will and Amanda Tate; and her paternal grandparents, Jimmy and Cora Woods; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hawthorne is survived by her husband, Leonard; her daughter, Melia Lynn Hawthorne (fiance Kevin Rice); her son, Antoine L. (Rebecca) Lawrence; her mother, Lovie; her sister, Dr. Wanda Earnestine Woods Everage; her brother, Gary D. Woods; her nephews and niece, Carlton, Robert, Rylee, and Moory; and a host of extended family members; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Birdia Ruth (Woods) Hawthorne, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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