SR1180 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1180 LRB098 20977 GRL 58979 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Lillian Marshall Burris of Milford, Delaware, who passed away on April 8, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris was born in 1919 in Lewes, Delaware to Joseph L. and Sue Watts Marshall; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris graduated from Lewes High School in 1937 and the University of Delaware in 1941; she subsequently taught at Caesar Rodney School for one year until the outbreak of World War II, when she married John E. "Jack" Burris; after the war, the couple settled in Milford, Delaware; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris was a stay at home mother who dedicated herself to raising her 4 children and participating in numerous community activities; she served on the Delmarva Boy Scouts Advisory Board and the Girl Scouts Advisory Boards and was a member of the Parent-Teachers Association; she served as Chairperson of the Delaware Federation of Women's Clubs Field Service project and as Education Chairperson for the Milford New Century Club, where she administered the Club's Hirsch Fund for disadvantaged people for 20 years; she was a member of the Board of Kent-Sussex County's Mancus Foundation for Handicapped Persons and a charter member of the Milford Housing Corporation; she was a Trustee of Wesley College and a member of the University of Delaware Alumni Board; she was a member of the Milford Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and a Booth Chairperson with her husband, where her family and employees of Burris Foods cooked chicken barbecue dinners at the annual Milford Hospital Fair for over 30 years; she was also a trustee of the Children's Beach House Board for 50 years; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris and her husband were chosen as "Citizen of the Year" twice by the Milford Chamber of Commerce and received the United Way's Alexis de Tocqueville Society Award; she received the distinguished honor of Delaware's Mother of the Year in 1992 and the "Outstanding Alumnae of the Year" award from the University of Delaware in 1997; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris was an active member of Avenue United Methodist Church in Milford, Delaware for many years; she taught Sunday school for 18 years and served as a member of the Administrative Board, President of the United Methodist Women's Society, Parsonage Committee Co-Chair, and Council of Ministries Counselor with Youth Fellowship; she was also active in the United Methodist Women's Circle; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris enjoyed sandbars on Lewes Beach in the summer, football games at the University of Delaware in the fall, the extremely cold and windy days of winter in Delaware, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, John E. "Jack" Burris; her son, Robert D. Burris; and her sister, Sue Preston Dean; and

WHEREAS, Lillian Burris is survived by her daughter, Lilla (Bob) Hoopman; a daughter-in-law, Susan Burris; sons, John (Cathy) Burris and Howard (Debbie) Burris; a brother, T. Rowland (Marian) Marshall; a sister, Mother Virginia Marshall; 15 grandchildren, including Sarah Burris Lauzen, who is married to United States Marine Corps Captain Theodore Lauzen, who is the son of retired Illinois State Senator Chris Lauzen; 30 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with her family and friends, mourn the passing of Lillian Marshall Burris; and be it further

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