Bill Text: IL HR0530 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Rev. Dr. Clifford Tyler.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-01-16 - Resolution Adopted [HR0530 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0530-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Rev. Dr.
Clifford Tyler, who passed away on November 19, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was born in Flint Hill, Virginia to
Clifford Sr. and Annie Bell (Roberts) Tyler on August 31,
1924, the second oldest of seven siblings along with Lutitia
Addison, James Tyler, Willia Mae Tyler, Georgia Chunn, Frances
Graham, and Pauline Green; he attended elementary school in
Flint Hill, and after seventh grade, he attended school in
Manassas, Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler returned home after school and worked
with his father as a mechanic; he then moved to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and worked at American Steel & Wire; at the age of
19, he and his cousin, James, enlisted in the United States
Army on June 3, 1943; he served in the Air Force as an aviation
engineer during World War II and was honorably discharged on
February 19, 1946; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler returned to the state of Virginia,
where he later met and married Bertha Alsberry; he became
father to her three children, Francis, Ruth, and Henry; he
moved his family to Chicago in 1953; one of his first jobs was

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working with Perillo Automotives; he then became a mechanic
for the United States Post Office; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler answered the call to ministry in 1957;
prior to going into ministry, he served as a deacon at his
church; he was asked to be the assistant pastor at First
Timothy Missionary Baptist Church in 1958; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler met Lenora Mason when they both served
as delegates at the Progressive National Baptist Convention;
they married on December 4, 1960 and had two daughters, Alisa
and Sheila; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was installed as pastor of First
Timothy on April 28, 1968; he graduated from the Moody Bible
Institute in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in theology, and he
worked as a training and development coordinator in the
Practical Christian Ministries Department; eventually, he
became an instructor at Moody; he received a master's degree
in education from Northeastern University in Chicago and
continued his studies at Northern Baptist Theological
Seminary; he left his full-time position with the Moody Bible
Institute in 1981 to become the full-time pastor of First
Timothy Baptist Church; he was installed on January 26, 1982;
and

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WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler received an honorary doctorate from
the Chicago Baptist Institute (CBI); during his more than 20
years of working at CBI, he served as a instructor, trustee,
board chairman, vice president, and president; he also served
as a chaplain for the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center;
and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler married Lois Scott in 2002; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler's ministries extended to St. Louis,
Wisconsin, Florida, Nebraska, Virginia, New York, Trinidad,
and Kenya; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was proud of his Native American
heritage; he served on the board of directors for the
Christian Indian Ministries and the Native American Bible
Academy in Ringold, Oklahoma; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler married Lela Hicks in October of 2004;
and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler held many leadership positions at the
state and national level, which included, president of the
Progressive Baptist State Convention of Illinois, organizer
and president of the Department of State Presidents of the
Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC), and president

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of the PNBC Midwest Region Congress of Christian Education;
his professional affiliations included, the Chicago Baptist
Association, the Baptist Minister's Union of Chicago, the
Baptist Pastors Conference, the Progressive Baptist District
Association, the Baptist State Convention of Illinois, Inc.,
the Union District Baptist Association, the Evangelical
Theological Society, and the Light Bearers Association of
America, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler became pastor emeritus upon retiring
in 2013, after 45 years of serving as pastor; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler received numerous awards for
leadership and dedicated services; he loved to cook, garden,
read his Bible, fish, and hunt; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler was preceded in death by his parents,
his wives, his brothers, his sisters, and two stepchildren;
and
WHEREAS, Rev. Tyler is survived by his daughters, Alisa,
and Sheila; his stepdaughter, Ruth; his sister, Pauline; his
grandchildren, Robert Jr. (Vondee), Kawiana, Jamelle
(Derrick), Arianna, Morriah, and Shannon; four
great-grandchildren; the First Timothy church family; and
numerous relatives and friends whom he loved dearly;

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therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we mourn the passing of Rev. Dr. Clifford Tyler and extend our
sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
and loved him; and be it further