Full Text of HR0626 98th General Assembly
HR0626 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Donna Mae | 4 | | (nee Smith) Watson, who passed away on August 25, 2013; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson was born in East Saint Louis on May | 6 | | 5, 1937 to Wiley E. and Ethel (nee Rigney) Smith, Jr.; she | 7 | | graduated from Dupo Community High School on May 27, 1955; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson enlisted in the United States Army on | 9 | | April 25, 1957 and completed her basic military training at | 10 | | Fort McCellan, Alabama on July 3, 1957; she qualified in the | 11 | | Teletype Operation Course at the U.S. Army Southeastern Signal | 12 | | School in Fort Gordon, Georgia on August 30, 1957; she received | 13 | | the Good Conduct Medal during her service and was a member of | 14 | | the Women's Army Corps until her honorable discharge on April | 15 | | 24, 1959, achieving the rank of Specialist 4; she was proud | 16 | | that she served her country, and being a veteran became | 17 | | especially important to her in her later years; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson married George E. Watson at the First | 19 | | Baptist Church in Wood River on August 26, 1960; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson was employed as a Mental Health | 21 | | Technician IV at the Alton Mental Health Center, retiring in |
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| 1 | | 1999; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson believed in the importance of | 3 | | education, graduating from Lewis and Clark Community College in | 4 | | 1973 with an Associate of Arts Degree, graduating with honors; | 5 | | she had an inherent love of politics and often shared her | 6 | | earliest memories of listening to both the Democratic and | 7 | | Republican conventions on the radio as a small child; her | 8 | | interest in politics continued into adulthood as she served as | 9 | | a Republican Precinct Committeewoman in the early 1970s; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson's most cherished memories were of | 11 | | helping her mother raise her younger siblings, Sarah "Cindy" | 12 | | and Elsa, and then when she became a mother, raising her own | 13 | | children; she spent many summers at Van Preter Park in East | 14 | | Alton, watching her daughters and sons play softball and | 15 | | baseball; she felt her greatest achievements were her children | 16 | | and grandchildren; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson was preceded in death by her parents; | 18 | | her husband, George; her maternal grandparents, Edward and Anna | 19 | | Rigney; and her paternal grandparents, Wiley E. and Elsa M. | 20 | | Smith; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Donna Watson is survived by her daughters, Stacia | 22 | | (Leonard) Woods and Donna (Steven) Pantone; her sons, Todd |
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| 1 | | (Erin) Watson and Maxx (fiancee Jeanette Kassay) Watson; her | 2 | | grandchildren, Rigney Sanders, Matthew Sanders, Donna "Toni" | 3 | | Pantone, Megan Watson, Zackary Watson, Braydon Hensley, Jadyn | 4 | | Watson, Emily Watson, Parker Watson, Reily Kassay, and | 5 | | Christian Kassay; her sisters, Sarah "Cindy" (Daniel) Robien | 6 | | and Elsa (James) Lewis; and her nieces, nephews, great-nieces, | 7 | | and great-nephews; therefore, be it
| 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 9 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 10 | | we mourn the passing of Donna Mae Watson and extend our sincere | 11 | | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 12 | | her; and be it further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 14 | | presented to the family of Donna Watson as an expression of our | 15 | | deepest sympathy.
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