Alvin B. Weems

Alvin B. Weems, 51, of Chicago, IL, passed away on Thursday, 05 May 2011. Alvin, beloved son of Ella R. Weems, was born on 24 Oct 1959 in Chicago, IL. On 5 Nov 1991 he married Marcella S. Solis and in 1992 “A man and a lady had a little baby” her name, Ella Monet Weems, whom Alvin named after his beloved mother Ella. As a gift to his daughter (and by the grace of God), his “favorite son” was born in 1998; his name, Rayes Xavier Weems. Alvin is survived by his siblings Daniel Weems (Sheila), Clyde Weems (Gabbrielle), Rochelle Weems-Potts (Linell), Benny Weems, Cynthia Weems, Tanya Goodman, and many loving nieces and nephews. Alvin was preceded by his mother and siblings, Celesta Mackey and Paulette Weems.

In 1978 he proudly served his country and joined the Marines. Upon being honorably discharged he joined the Chicago Police Department. In June of 1986 he was appointed to the rank of Police Officer. He served and protected selflessly, with dignity, integrity and pride, the streets of Chicago for 24 years and 11 months. He served as a training officer and instilled the listed traits on those he trained.

After his probationary period was completed, one of Alvin’s first assignments was to the 018th District. Alvin began his career there with a splash as he chased an auto thief into the icy waters of Lake Michigan in mid February and fell into the icy waters as he reached to grab the thief.

Shortly thereafter he was assigned to the 11th District where he called home for a long period. “Beat one-one-two-five, 1125 squad”, he called as he ran through the streets and staircases of the “Rockwell Gardens” answering every call dispatched to him.

During his tenure with the Chicago Police Department he earned countless accolades. He earned two Crime Reduction awards, two Department Commendations, one Presidential Commendation, three Complimentary Letters, one Attendance award, one Democratic National Convention Award and sixty-five Honorable Mention awards that are recorded. In 2001 he requested a reassignment to the Public Transportation Section. In 2003, his family proudly saw him rise to the rank of Detective. Alvin loved his profession and the brothers and sisters that came along.

Alvin was an aspiring author always having notebooks filled with stories, and scraps of papers with keywords of new stories he was thinking about. Alvin was an avid reader; he could sit down for hours with a book in his hand and read the same book in a day. He loved good movies, especially old western ones. Dancing to a variety of music and learning new things were amongst his passions of his. One of his greatest passions was roller skating. Countless hours of his were spent at various rinks around Chicago. The first thing he packed when traveling out of the state were his skates. Forget about buying cigars to pass out when his children were born, he came to the hospital with a pair of brand new roller skates for the babies instead. At age 51 he could still keep up with the young adults at the skate rink.

He was a great man with the biggest heart and although he has left to “build castles in the sky”, he will not be forgotten. Alvin fiercely loved his close friends and especially his family. He has touched so many in a very special way. He woke up with a smile and continuously smiled throughout the day (showing the trademark slight gap between his teeth). In his sleep his smile persisted, and in our hearts his smile will forever remain.