Bill Text: VA HJR613 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of the Reverend Leroy A. Cherry.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-01-28 - Agreed to by Senate [HJR613 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2021-HJR613-Introduced.html
WHEREAS, the Reverend Leroy A. Cherry, an esteemed pastor, honorable veteran, and beloved member of the Petersburg community, died on October 5, 2020; and
WHEREAS, a lifelong resident of Petersburg, Leroy Cherry graduated from the historic Peabody High School in 1967; he then served his country and the Commonwealth with courage and valor as a member of the United States Marine Corps for six years and the Virginia Army National Guard for seven; and
WHEREAS, Leroy Cherry graduated from the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University, where he studied in the Evans-Smith Leadership Training Institute; he also studied at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, John Tyler Community College, and the former Virginia Seminary and College, now Virginia University of Lynchburg; and
WHEREAS, for 29 years, Leroy Cherry supported the nation's Defense Logistics Agency as a hardworking employee at the Defense General Supply Center, where he was distinguished with numerous performance awards; and
WHEREAS, after retiring from the Defense General Supply Center in 1996, Leroy Cherry proudly safeguarded his community as an auxiliary officer with the Petersburg Bureau of Police, later serving as the agency's lead chaplain; and
WHEREAS, dedicated to the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual development of young people, Leroy Cherry served as president of the J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School Parent Teacher Association and received a lifetime membership to the Virginia Parent Teacher Association; he and his wife, Brenda, also generously provided foster care to children in need; and
WHEREAS, guided throughout his life by his deep and abiding faith, Leroy Cherry was compelled to provide spiritual guidance to others, giving his initial sermon on January 16, 1983, at the First Baptist Church on Harrison Street in Petersburg; and
WHEREAS, ordained in 1986, Leroy Cherry served as pastor of First Baptist Church in McKenney for 10 years and Good Hope Baptist Church in Blackridge for nine before ultimately settling at Third Baptist Church in Petersburg in 1996, where he would watch his congregation grow mightily over the years; and
WHEREAS, Leroy Cherry's spiritual mentorship extended beyond the walls of Third Baptist Church and his work as lead chaplain of the Petersburg Bureau of Police; along with being a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains, he served as a moderator and dean with the Unified Shiloh Baptist Association of Southside Virginia; and
WHEREAS, dedicated to the cultivation of a sound body and mind, Leroy Cherry was an accomplished student of a martial art known as Okinawa Kenpo Karate-Kobudo, obtaining a first degree black belt; and
WHEREAS, Leroy Cherry will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife of nearly 53 years, Brenda; his children, Lenora, Joyce, Charles, Rodney, Wayne, Ramon, Michael, Judy, and Jewell, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Reverend Leroy A. Cherry, a spiritual leader of the Petersburg community who left a profound and lasting impression on countless lives; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Reverend Leroy A. Cherry as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
