Bill Text: IL HR1281 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Vater Mae "Gran" Fite of Chicago on her 100th birthday.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-11-19 - Resolution Adopted [HR1281 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR1281-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate Vater Mae "Gran" Fite of
Chicago on the occasion of her 100th birthday on September 28,
2014; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite was born on September 28, 1914 in
Carthage, Texas to the late Selma and Marvin Conners,
affectionately known as Big Momma and Big Daddy; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite's only brother, Leon "Uncle Leon"
Conners, is 96 years of age and lives in Maywood with his
family; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite's older sister, Herese "Aunt B"
Buckner, was a school teacher in the Chicago public schools and
a classically trained singer who spread her faith and talent
throughout the world at the behest of the Lutheran dioceses;
Vater and Herese shared the same birthday and lived as
bachelorettes in Oak Park until the ages of 89 and 91 when, in
2008, Herese fell ill and passed away; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite's younger sister, the late Inez "Auntie
Inez" Jones, retired as school teacher in their hometown and
remained a lifelong resident of Carthage, Texas; and

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WHEREAS, Vater Fite matriculated from Longview Elementary
and Carthage High School (which only went up to the 7th grade)
in 1926; during this time, she attended Mount Zion Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church where she sang in the choir and
taught Sunday school; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite's first marriage was to JC Lilly in
1929; like so many in the depression, Vater and JC migrated
north; they eventually made their way to California, where
Vater was trained as a welder in the shipyards and worked as a
welder during World War II; when the war ended and work became
scarce, she returned to her children in Texas; she divorced and
later married Mr. Fite, to whom she was happily and briefly
married; upon his death, she joined her children and siblings
in Maywood; she later moved to the Westside of Chicago, where
she was employed with the State of Illinois as a caregiver
until her retirement in 1979; she temporarily returned to Texas
to care for her aging mother; upon her mother's death, Vater
returned to Oak Park to live with her sister and to be close to
her son and family; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite is an active participant in the senior
community of Oak Park; she became an artist at the age of 65
and has many of her paintings and sculptures displayed
throughout Oak Park and Chicago, as well as in the many homes

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of her relatives all over the United States; she taught herself
to play the violin at the age of 84; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite is an avid reader and particularly a
fan of murder mysteries and historical fiction; some of her
favorite things are a good piece of beef, watching countless
hours of baseball, the color blue, and her infamously loud and
long discussions with her brother Leon on the phone; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite is a sports enthusiast; though her
first love is baseball, she has followed the exploits of her
great-grandson, Evan Turner, on the basketball court and
attended games throughout the country during his collegiate and
professional NBA career; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite has travelled throughout the United
States and, after obtaining her passport at the tender age of
97, she became a literal globetrotter, traveling to various
locales annually on the family vacation until deciding to
remain stateside this year; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite's children are LeRoy Franklin
(Barbara) Lilly (deceased), Vater Jo (Robert) Goodman
(deceased), Billie June (Felix) Neal (deceased), and Gloria
Marves (deceased); and

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WHEREAS, Vater Fite's grandchildren are Iris L. James,
Darius F. Lilly (deceased), State Representative Camille Y.
Lilly, Brian S. Lilly, Karen (Jasmyn) Lilly, Jerome (Jerry)
Goodman, Kevin (Jacqueline) Neal, and April (Vince) Braggs; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite's great-grandchildren are Richard
James, Darius Turner, Evan Turner, Briana Lilly, Vince Braggs
Jr. (VJ), Briaja Braggs, and Brian Shawn Lilly II; and
WHEREAS, Vater Fite is a living legacy and the pride and
joy of her family; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate Vater Mae "Gran" Fite as she becomes a
centenarian and wish her many more wonderful years; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Vater Fite as an expression of our esteem and
respect.