2024 -- S 3007 | |
======== | |
LC006008 | |
======== | |
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
____________ | |
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
EXTENDING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF GRACE GUNNIP | |
| |
Introduced By: Senator Valarie J. Lawson | |
Date Introduced: April 24, 2024 | |
Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar | |
1 | WHEREAS, It is with sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of Grace |
2 | Gunnip, the beloved and very proud mother of Jenny and her husband, Chris, Jon and his wife, |
3 | Katie, and Matthew and his wife, Rose; and |
4 | WHEREAS, Born in the City of Providence, Ms. Gunnip was the daughter of Henry and |
5 | Mary Waldron, and the sister of Henry Waldon and his wife, Katie, Kay Conroy and her husband, |
6 | Joe, Anne Murphy, and Mary Plante; and |
7 | WHEREAS, Ms. Gunnip was a graduate of St. Patrick’s High School, and at the age of |
8 | 41, earned a degree in Human Development & Family Studies from the University of Rhode |
9 | Island, where she was honored with a “special acknowledgment for her perseverance in pursuing |
10 | her degree despite challenges”; and |
11 | WHEREAS, In her late 30s, Ms. Gunnip had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré |
12 | syndrome, a condition that causes paralysis, and required her to relearn to walk and drive, a |
13 | challenge she met with amazing grace and determination; and |
14 | WHEREAS, Throughout her life Ms. Gunnip was devoted to her faith. As a young |
15 | woman, she had entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy in Cumberland to become a nun. She |
16 | chose to leave the novitiate but continued to be a dedicated Catholic; and |
17 | WHEREAS, As the sole support for her family, Ms. Gunnip worked tirelessly, often |
18 | holding two jobs while always finding time to love and support her children. For many years, she |
19 | had been employed at Insight assisting those who had lost their sight, and in the evening, she |
20 | would clean office buildings. After earning her degree at URI, she became a social caseworker, |
| |
1 | initially working with children and families impacted by abuse and neglect and subsequently |
2 | specializing in adoptions, where “she delighted in helping children find their forever homes”; and |
3 | WHEREAS, In addition to her children, Ms. Gunnip was blessed with her cherished |
4 | grandchildren, Aidan, Avery, Owen, Naomi, Kai, and Mateo; and |
5 | WHEREAS, Ms. Gunnip had faced many physical challenges throughout her lifetime, |
6 | and at the age of 70, developed end-stage kidney disease, underwent triple-bypass surgery and |
7 | received a heart valve transplant, but with her amazing strength and faith, was able to live her life |
8 | independently for eight more years enjoying travel with her children to South Carolina, Florida, |
9 | Ireland, the Cayman Islands and Martinique. Her final trip will be for her children to bring her |
10 | ashes to Ireland, as her Irish heritage had always been important and a great source of pride for |
11 | her; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Grace Gunnip was a wonderful and loving mother, grandmother and friend |
13 | to many. She was “a sweet, loving person with such a kind heart and generous spirit” who |
14 | possessed “great compassion and understanding” and “brought such light to the world” and she |
15 | will be dearly missed; now, therefore be it. |
16 | RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby expresses deepest |
17 | sympathy on the passing of Grace Gunnip; and be it further |
18 | RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
19 | transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Jenny, Jon, and Matthew Gunnip. |
======== | |
LC006008 | |
======== | |
| LC006008 - Page 2 of 2 |