H.R. No. 1822
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends will forever treasure their
memories of the Reverend Ben Sanchez Riojas of Houston, who passed
away on May 2, 2012, at the age of 94; and
WHEREAS, Ben Riojas was born in San Antonio to Bernabe and
Guadalupe Riojas on November 5, 1917, and he moved with his family
to Houston at an early age; he was a teenager when he formed a
musical group with a friend, Jesse Blanco, and together they
composed a number of popular Spanish-language gospel songs; during
those early years, Mr. Riojas also worked construction, and he
helped build the San Jacinto Monument; and
WHEREAS, Answering his nation's call to duty, Mr. Riojas
joined the U.S. Army in 1941 and was stationed in San Antonio at the
time of the attack on Pearl Harbor; he went on to train as a ranger
with the 2nd Infantry Division, and he was wounded during the
Normandy invasion in 1944; after recuperating in London, he
returned to combat and was wounded again, spending the last days of
his tour of duty in Paris before returning home to Texas; and
WHEREAS, In 1946, Mr. Riojas married Rosie Perez, whom he had
met before the war when his band performed at a Galveston church;
they were blessed with three children, Amelia, Benny, and Gina; and
WHEREAS, Reverend and Mrs. Riojas pastored a number of
churches together in the Houston area until taking on what was
supposed to be a temporary position at La Hermosa Christian Church
in south Houston in the mid-1960s; they ended up serving that
congregation faithfully for 40 years; Reverend Riojas also worked
at Nabisco until his retirement in 1981; and
WHEREAS, Devoted to his family and his faith, Ben Riojas
lived a rich and purposeful life, and cherished memories of time
spent in his company will long endure in the hearts of all who knew
and loved him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Reverend Ben
Sanchez Riojas and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
family: to his children, Amelia Cardona and her husband, Paul,
Benny Riojas and his wife, Lucy, and Gina Gauthier and her husband,
Robert; to his grandchildren, Rafael Gonzales and his wife, Kim,
Catarina Cron and her husband, Richard, Charissa Montoya and her
husband, Juan, Benjamin Riojas and his wife, Emily, and Sydnee and
Mackenzie Gauthier; to his great-grandchild, Sofie Riojas; to his
brothers, Tony, Ruben, and Samuel Riojas and their wives; to his
sister, Jovita Cavazos; and to his other relatives and friends;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Ben Riojas.
Wu
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1822 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 4, 2013.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House