H.R. No. 2011
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A life made rich through meaningful service drew to
a close when Evelyn Cernik of Houston died on September 21, 2009, at
the age of 83; and
WHEREAS, Born on October 27, 1925, in Galveston, to Ernest
and Louise Petersen, the former Evelyn Erline Petersen enjoyed the
companionship of four siblings, Herbert, Gail, Elouise, and Dale;
she graduated from Ball High School in 1943 and earned a degree in
microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1951; and
WHEREAS, That same year, Mrs. Cernik married the love of her
life, Charles E. Cernik, in Galveston; the couple shared a
rewarding relationship of nearly six decades and became the parents
of three children, Carolyn, Charles, and Cheryl; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of 35 years, Mrs. Cernik chronicled
notable events in the lives of area residents through her popular
"Potpourri" column in the Leader, the northwest Houston local
newspaper; a valued member of St. James Evangelical Lutheran
Church, which she joined in 1956, she served her fellow congregants
as archivist and as president of St. James Women of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of America; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Cernik was also a longtime supporter of the
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, and in 1999 she received a
Lifetime Achievement Award for her many accomplishments during half
a century of membership in the council's Twin Oaks Service Unit; her
record of civic engagement further included four decades as a
nursing home volunteer and as an active member of the auxiliary at
Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, as well as 29 years'
involvement in the Houston A&M Mothers' Club; and
WHEREAS, Evelyn Cernik possessed a generosity of spirit that
expressed itself in myriad ways, and countless lives were forever
enriched by her warmth and kindness; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Evelyn Cernik and
extend sincere condolences to the members of her family: to her
husband, Charles Cernik; to her children, Carolyn Weaver and her
husband, Gary, and Charles Curtis Cernik and his wife, Joyce; to her
sister, Gail Jones; to her brother, Herbert Petersen, and his wife,
Jackie; and to her other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Evelyn
Cernik.
Bohac
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2011 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 26, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House