HR0918 LRB103 43084 ECR 76340 r
1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3		Representatives wish to congratulate John Preston "Johnnie"
4		Cobb on the occasion of his 101st birthday on July 13, 2024;
5		and
6		WHEREAS, John Cobb was born to Howard Winston Cobb and
7		Mary Joe Cobb in Greenville, Mississippi on July 13, 1923; he
8		and his family moved to Jackson, Mississippi when he was one
9		year old; after his father's passing in 1932, he and his family
10		were supported by his grandfather, John Winston Cobb, who
11		oversaw most of his schooling; and
12		WHEREAS, John Cobb served as a seamen first class and cook
13		in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1943 during World War II; while
14		in the Navy, he studied bookkeeping; he received an honorable
15		discharge in 1943; and
16		WHEREAS, John Cobb returned to Jackson, Mississippi at the
17		age of 20; while there, he renewed his membership at the Canney
18		Creek Missionary Baptist Church, where he became a deacon at
19		the age of 21; he married his first wife, and this union
20		produced five daughters; he provided for his family while
21		working as a bookkeeper for a small merchant; and

HR0918 - 2 - LRB103 43084 ECR 76340 r
1		WHEREAS, John Cobb relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 1952,
2		where he worked and provided for his family as a single parent
3		with the support of his mother and sisters; he gained
4		employment with Style Masters Furniture, where he worked until
5		the business closed; and
6		WHEREAS, John Cobb remarried in 1955, and this union added
7		six more children to his family, making him a father of 11
8		children in total, nine daughters and two sons; he supported
9		his family through working two jobs at Gino's Cleaning Service
10		and the Mary Ann Bakery Company before retiring in 1980; and
11		WHEREAS, John Cobb is highly respected by his family and
12		honored by many of his peers, and he continues to maintain his
13		legacy as the family patriarch today; therefore, be it
14		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
15		HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16		we congratulate John Preston "Johnnie" Cobb on celebrating his
17		101st birthday; and be it further