SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 278
In Memory
of
Gerald Lee Kunkle
WHEREAS, The citizens of Collin County lost an admired
public servant with the passing of Constable Gerald Lee Kunkle on
February 13, 2015, at the age of 76; and
WHEREAS, Born on February 14, 1938, in Shreveport, Louisiana,
Jerry Kunkle was the son of Benjamin and Helen Kunkle; he served for
three years with the military police in the United States Marine
Corps, where he was stationed in Honolulu and excelled at playing
football for the corps; after he was discharged in 1959, he returned
home and attended the University of North Texas on a football
scholarship; he married the former Hannah Dungan on October 3, 1961,
and the couple raised four children; and
WHEREAS, Constable Kunkle began working for Collin County
as a deputy sheriff in 1962 and was soon promoted to chief deputy;
he worked briefly as a radio station manager before returning to
work for the county as an adult probation officer in 1971,
eventually reassuming the role of chief deputy; in 1979, he was
appointed to the office of Precinct 1 constable, and he continued
to be reelected to that position until his retirement in 2008;
over the course of a tenure that spanned nearly three decades, a
number of new programs were launched, including the
establishment of the warrant division; he was named Texas
Constable of the Year in 1997; and
WHEREAS, Further contributing to his professional
community, Constable Kunkle served as president of the Justices
of the Peace and Constables Association of Texas, and he received
the association's highest honor, the T. A. Vines Award, in 2003; and
WHEREAS, A devoted family man and a dedicated public
servant, Jerry Kunkle will be deeply missed, but the integrity
and optimism with which he lived his life will forever inspire
all who had the good fortune to know him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Constable Gerald
Lee Kunkle and extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his
family: to his wife, Hannah Kunkle; to his children, Mark,
Kimberly, and Matt Kunkle and Keri Hardin; to his grandchildren,
Mason, Morgan, Miles, and Mendel Kunkle and Hayden Hardin; to his
great-grandson, Hagen Kunkle; to his stepfather, Edward
R. McGehee; 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 Senate adjourns
this day, it do so in memory of Jerry Kunkle.
Taylor of Collin
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 2, 2015, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate