SR2144 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2144 LRB099 22742 GRL 50173 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Equellia Nancy Woods, who passed away on July 26, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Equellia Woods was born on April 21, 1918 in Newnan, Georgia; her parents were Paul and Victoria Powell; in her early teenage years, she left school to help support her family doing domestic work in and around Anniston, Alabama; she returned to school in 1977 to earn her General Education Diploma; she married Henry Woods on February 6, 1942; and

WHEREAS, Equellia Woods and her husband, Henry, moved to Chicago's Bronzeville area during the Great Migration of the late 1940s; they became members of St. John Baptist Church; and

WHEREAS, After working at numerous jobs that were recommended by friends, Equellia Woods graduated from the National Institute of Nursing in Chicago on June 12, 1949; she began her nursing career at Providence Hospital in Chicago and began to provide private nursing services to a group of elite clients; she cared for many lawyers, business entrepreneurs, and judges; in the late 1950s, she was hired to care for philanthropist Edith B. Wells, who eventually became more than just a client as she provided lawyers to assist Equellia and her husband with the purchase of their home in 1959; after Edith B. Wells passed away in 1981, she continued to assist clients until her retirement in 1986; and

WHEREAS, Equellia Woods was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Woods, and her siblings, Charles Powell, Ruby Woods, George Powell, Elnora Ross, Mattie Toney, and Willie Powell; and

WHEREAS, Equellia Woods is survived by her sisters, Lola Abbney, Francella Boyd, and Julia Johnson; her children, Paula Scott, Edward (Tammie) Boyd, and John (Patricia) Boyd; her grandchildren, Victoria, Cencere, Kenya, and Triniti Scott; her son-in-law, Kenny Scott; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and neighbors; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Equellia Nancy Woods; and be it further

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