Photo taken from Illinois General Assembly website, ilga.gov
Family, friends, community members and elected officials paid their final respects to Illinois State Rep. Esther Golar, 71, on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 W. 95th Street.
Golar, who was known for advocating on behalf of the disenfranchised, was laid to rest at the Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery in Homewood, Illinois.
The state legislator, mother, grandmother and friend of many, passed away Monday, Sept. 21 at 5:28 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after fighting a swift battle with cancer.
Golar was born on April 16, 1944 in the one-stoplight town of Merigold, Mississippi. She was the seventh child in a large family of nine siblings. At the age of six, Golar’s family migrated north to Chicago, where she attended Daniel Hale William and Gladstone Elementary schools and later graduated from Crane Technical High School on the West Side. She received her post-secondary education from Malcolm X College.
At the funeral service, family, friends and colleagues fondly reminisced on Golar’s commitment to public service, her wisdom and willingness to share it with others, her faith and of course her own way of bursting out in song, whether at a community event or on the General Assembly floor.
Golar’s sister-in-law, Marietta Coleman, shared early memories of the dynamics of Golar’s relationship with her mother, Cormoria and the lessons she taught her about serving others. Coleman painted a very vivid picture of her first dinner at the family home as she remembered the way Esther’s mother would tell the future legislator and public servant to make sure everyone at the table had plenty to eat and drink.
“At that time, Mother Coleman was training Esther for what would become her life’s work—and that is to serve the people,” Coleman said. “Esther would continue serving at all our family gatherings. She was always available, lending a helping hand for whatever you needed. This was part of who she was. She loved to serve, and watching her, you could tell it was very rewarding to her.”
The tribute came full circle as Coleman reflected on Golar’s final days as she sat by her bedside, while friends and colleagues streamed in and out of the hospital room.
“They all had stories of how Esther had helped and encouraged them,” Coleman said. “And they talked about how she had provided food for their functions. You know, I thought about that party years ago, where I watched her being trained by her mother,” Coleman said.
According to her colleagues in Springfield, Golar’s commitment to service was evident even as she approached her final days.
In early September, Golar checked herself out of the hospital and headed to the state’s capital so she could vote on a number of measures to support the needs of working families and people with disabilities.
“There’s a lot that has been said about Esther’s last trip to Springfield and what I think most about what that meant is–that was Esther’s last stand for the voiceless, for the powerless, for the people who nobody sent,” Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth said in her tribute.
The “singing legislator” championed numerous issues and causes and was instrumental in sponsoring laws to protect and support people with disabilities and those with mental health conditions.
Cook County Commissioner John Daley spoke candidly about his relationship with Golar and her ability to unite people around social causes.
“Let us not cry because it’s over, but let us smile because it happened,” Daley said, quoting Dr. Seuss, while urging those in attendance to do as Esther did and put a smile on a another person’s face whenever possible.
Majority Caucus Whip and State Sen. Mattie Hunter and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan also gave remarks and announced the passage of resolutions honoring the work and life of their departed friend and colleague.
Over the years, Golar received countless awards for her leadership and dedication to public service, including the State Legislator of the Year Award (2008) from the Interagency Committee on Employees with Disabilities and a service award from the Neighborhood Housing Services Board of Directors in 2013.
Golar was a member of numerous legislative committees throughout the years, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and the Public Policy and Accountability Committee, among others.
Golar was an inspiration and mother figure to many, including Officer Sabrina King of the Chicago Police Department 9th District. King said she had known Golar for more than 30 years, even before she was an organizer and a state representative.
“She was very, very inspirational, influential,” King said. “I mean, she was like a mother to me, but really, she was a mother to so many people in the community. She was very direct, very spiritual [and was] one of the most down-to-earth individuals.”
BYNC President Craig Chico said when he first met Golar he knew there was something different about her.
“She was not your typical politician,” Chico said. “She had one of the most caring hearts. She was one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met [and] will be sorely missed. To get a representative who cares about the community as much as she did will be difficult– and won’t even come close.”