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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to |
| 3 | | learn of the death of Willie Pearson Sr. of Chicago, who passed |
| 4 | | away on June 24, 2017; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Willie Pearson was born in
Starksville, |
| 6 | | Mississippi to John "Bud" and Geneva Pearson on June 27, 1933; |
| 7 | | he was educated at Ebenezer Elementary School and was a member |
| 8 | | of Ebenezer Baptist Church; his first job was working alongside |
| 9 | | his father at Mississippi State University; he married Sallie |
| 10 | | Hale in Starksville in 1952, and in 1955, they settled in |
| 11 | | Maywood; and
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| 12 | | WHEREAS, Willie Pearson moved his family to Chicago, where |
| 13 | | he retired from General Grinding in Addison as a truck driver |
| 14 | | and foreman after almost 40 years; and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, Willie Pearson loved westerns, a good cup of |
| 16 | | coffee, a slice of pound cake every morning, and southern food; |
| 17 | | he never used a microwave and always had a tin pan available to
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| 18 | | heat his food on top of the stove; his favorite meal was |
| 19 | | greens, beans, and a pan of
cornbread; he was affectionately |
| 20 | | known as "Pig", "Champ", and "Papa Champ"; he was a big fan of |
| 21 | | the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, the |
| 22 | | Golden State
Warriors, and the Mississippi State University |
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| 1 | | football team; he enjoyed having big family meals, taking road |
| 2 | | trips to Starksville, cards, blues, and his daily talks with |
| 3 | | his brother, "Skeet"; and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, Willie Pearson was proceeded in death by his |
| 5 | | parents; his wife, Sallie Pearson; his son,
Willie Jr.; and his |
| 6 | | sibling, L.Q "Sonny" Pearson; and
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| 7 | | WHEREAS, Willie Pearson is survived by his children, Kathye |
| 8 | | Kelley,
Wanda "Tank" Hill (Gerald), Pamela Albert (David), |
| 9 | | Carmen Pearson, and Cedric Johnson (Annie); his |
| 10 | | daughter-in-law, Ora Pearson; his grandchildren, Tania |
| 11 | | Pearson, Charles Kelley Jr. (Amy), Korey Kelley (Tiffany), and |
| 12 | | Steven C.
Mann; his brothers, Tommie Lee "Skeet" Williams, |
| 13 | | Stacey Fox
(Paris), and Steve Fox; his step-sister, Doris |
| 14 | | Moore; his great-great-grandchildren, Serenity, Laila, Avery, |
| 15 | | and Malia; his god-children,
Barbara Lightford, Jerry Sorrell, |
| 16 | | Carla Johnson, and Carlton Reives; numerous nieces, nephews, |
| 17 | | cousins, and friends; and his great-grand-dog, Coco; |
| 18 | | therefore, be it
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| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL |
| 20 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 21 | | Willie Pearson Sr., and extend our sincere condolences to his |
| 22 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it |
| 23 | | further
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