MEMORIAL RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE OF RAUL MONTES, SR.
WHEREAS, Raul Montes, Sr., loving father and husband, dedicated public servant, and esteemed member of the 22nd Ward community, passed away on January 23, 2021; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of Raul's passing by the Honorable Michael D. Rodriguez, Alderman of the 22nd Ward; and
WHEREAS, Raul was born on August 9,1948, in Chihuahua, Chihuahua Mexico, to Jose Montes Tapia and Estela Sifuentes Miranda, and was one of nine children; and
WHEREAS, In September 1965, at the age of 17, Raul's father brought him to the U.S., where he traveled by train to Chicago to join his father and several of his siblings in the City; and
WHEREAS, Raul's first job upon arriving in Chicago was as a busboy at Marshall Field's on State Street; in 1967, he began working at Western Electric as a lead man, where he met fellow employee and his future wife, Maria M. Gutierrez; and
WHEREAS, Raul and Maria were married on January 29,1972, at Epiphany Church in the Little Village neighborhood; afterthey wed, they purchased their home on the 2600 block of South Kolin Avenue, where they have lived ever since; their marriage produced three children: Miguel; Raul, Jr.; and Jose; and
WHEREAS, Friendly and outgoing, Raul was a man of his community, and spearheaded several community efforts to improve and beautify his neighborhood; he organized his neighbors into a block club, and together they took turns doing projects to improve their houses, back yards, and the street they lived on; they installed lamps in their front lawns, planted sod in parkways, and established block watches and activities for children and teens in the neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, As a result of his deep involvement in community life and activities, Raul was appointed Democratic Precinct Captain of the 6th Precinctby the 22nd Ward Independent Political Organization; as Precinct Captain, Raul contributed to the election of the campaigns of many elected...
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