RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, called Joe-Ella Williams from this life to her eternal reward on February 28, 2015, at the age of 88; and
WHEREAS, Joe-Ella Williams was a neighborhood treasure who devoted her life to improving the lives of all residents of Chicago's West Side; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has been advised of Mrs. Williams' passing by the Honorable Michael Chandler, Alderman of the 24th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Joe-Ella was born in Spring Hill, Mississippi, the first of six children born to Vontee Townsend and Oakland Hobbs; and
WHEREAS, in 1948 she was united in holy matrimony to Mason Williams, and their union was blessed with the birth of three children: James Otis, Ernestine and Jereline; and
WHEREAS, widowed at the age of 39, Joe-Ella dedicated her life not simply to raising her children, but to making sure that their community would thrive; and
WHEREAS, toward that end, Joe-Ella became involved in causes that affected the quality of life of her family and her neighbors. Among these were the Contract Buyers League, seeking to end real estate abuses in the North Lawndale Community, and ACORN; and
WHEREAS, on a smaller scale, but with direct impact on many families, Joe-Ella organized annual Back to School block club parties for local children, and would distribute school supplies to make sure that all the children started the school year with everything they needed; and
WHEREAS, among her other neighborhood improvement activities was gardening. She loved working in her own garden, and greatly appreciated the compliments and accolades it earned; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of her service in her community, Joe-Ella was an honored inductee in the Mayor's Senior Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Joe-Ella is survived by her daughters, Ernestine and Jereline; her daughter-in-law Carmen; two grandchildren, Sheryce and Bryan; nine great-grandchildren; her sister Lela; her brothers, Nathaniel, Tommie Lee and Ernest; many nieces, n...
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