82R746 MMS-D
By: Patrick H.R. No. 387
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Pearl Lilley Fincher of Spring, a successful
businesswoman and noted philanthropist who left an indelible
imprint on the lives of countless individuals, passed away on June
3, 2010, at the age of 75; and
WHEREAS, One of 11 children, Pearl Lilley was born to Selma
Lilley and Hubert Lilley, a Baptist minister, in Evergreen on April
23, 1935; throughout her life, she honored the lessons her parents
taught her about the importance of faith, family, and generosity;
and
WHEREAS, It was after moving to Northwest Houston in 1953
that she met her husband, Fred Fincher; the couple opened a car
dealership, Fred Fincher Motors, in 1959, and over the years, Mrs.
Fincher was involved in several additional enterprises; she and her
husband shared a devoted union until his passing in 1996; and
WHEREAS, Impelled by a strong sense of civic responsibility,
Pearl Fincher became active in politics, staunchly supporting
candidates for whom she had great personal respect and serving as
president of the Northwest Forest Republican Women from 1999 to
2000; having instilled in her children a similar ethic of community
engagement and leadership, she took immense pride when her daughter
Patricia Harless was sworn in as the representative for Texas House
District 126; and
WHEREAS, A woman who had known hardship and who had gone on to
ring up successive achievements, Mrs. Fincher had a rare gift for
inspiring self-confidence in others and sought especially to help
and encourage women in business; she worked with the Lone Star
College Foundation and donated generously to several charities,
among them Northwest Assistance Ministries; she also gave freely of
her time and talents as a member of the boards of the American Heart
Association, The Centrum Arts League, the Tomball Regional Arts
Council, and the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts; the latter
facility, which operates in partnership with the Museum of Fine
Arts, Houston, and other public and private lenders, opened in
Northwest Houston in 2008 and was made possible, in no small
measure, by the high esteem that Mrs. Fincher enjoyed among
community and political leaders in the area; and
WHEREAS, Pearl Fincher's uncommon strength was matched by her
infinite kindness, graciousness, and dignity, as well as by an
irrepressible sense of humor; she enriched immeasurably the lives
of her family and a host of friends, and they will forever hold her
close in their hearts; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Pearl Lilley Fincher
and extend sincere sympathy to the members of her family: to her
daughters and their husbands, Vicki and Red Brown and the Honorable
Patricia Harless and Sam Harless; to her sons and their wives,
Donald and Debbie Fincher, Roger and Yvonne Hess, Adrian Fincher,
and John Fincher; to her stepsons and their wives, Jay and Mary
Fincher and Andy and Dixie Fincher; to her 44 grandchildren,
including spouses; and to her many great-grandchildren; 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 Pearl
Lilley Fincher.