| 2 | 3 | | |
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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Residents of Bremond were deeply saddened by the |
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| 6 | 7 | | death of civic leader and Bremond Press publisher Betty Yezak on |
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| 7 | 8 | | July 24, 2016, at the age of 90; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born near Wheelock on December 20, 1925, the former |
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| 9 | 10 | | Elizabeth Adele Supak was the youngest of the six children of |
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| 10 | 11 | | sharecroppers Thomas and Louise Supak; her grandparents were Czech |
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| 11 | 12 | | immigrants, and she spoke English as her second language when she |
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| 12 | 13 | | started school; after graduating from Franklin High School, she |
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| 13 | 14 | | became the first member of her family to attend college, with |
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| 14 | 15 | | financial help from her older sister; she worked as a grill cook at |
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| 15 | 16 | | the student union while completing her bachelor's degree in English |
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| 16 | 17 | | at Texas State College for Women, and during World War II, she held |
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| 17 | 18 | | a summer job as a forklift operator at a bomb factory in McGregor; |
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| 18 | 19 | | and |
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| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, She began teaching high school English in |
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| 20 | 21 | | Pleasanton, and her brother introduced her to his boss, then-State |
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| 21 | 22 | | Representative Herman Yezak; the couple married at St. Mary's |
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| 22 | 23 | | Catholic Church in Bremond on October 5, 1949, and they were blessed |
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| 23 | 24 | | with two daughters, Patricia "Pisha" and Jennifer, and two sons, |
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| 24 | 25 | | Robert and George; while her children were young, Mrs. Yezak |
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| 25 | 26 | | supported them in many extracurricular activities; she became an |
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| 26 | 27 | | ardent fan of the Bremond Tigers, and in 61 years she attended every |
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| 27 | 28 | | regular season football game and missed only four playoff games; |
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| 28 | 29 | | and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, At the end of the 1950s, the Yezaks purchased the |
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| 30 | 31 | | weekly Bremond Press, and following her husband's death in 1986, |
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| 31 | 32 | | Mrs. Yezak continued to lead it, with increasing help from her son, |
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| 32 | 33 | | George; she wrote a column, "The B.Y. Line," in every edition for 29 |
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| 33 | 34 | | years, sharing her observations and, in keeping with her iron |
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| 34 | 35 | | commitment to the First Amendment, sometimes rankling certain |
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| 35 | 36 | | readers with her strongly held opinions; she also worked from 1957 |
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| 36 | 37 | | to 1971 as a Star Route mail carrier and loved getting to know and |
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| 37 | 38 | | assist all manner of people along Route 3; subsequently, she served |
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| 38 | 39 | | for eight years as a Child Protective Services worker in Franklin, |
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| 39 | 40 | | and following the death of her husband, she completed his term as |
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| 40 | 41 | | justice of the peace for Robertson County Precinct 4; in addition, |
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| 41 | 42 | | she raised cattle with her son George; and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, A devout Catholic, Mrs. Yezak was a CYO sponsor, CCD |
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| 43 | 44 | | teacher, bazaar volunteer, and lector at St. Mary's; she served the |
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| 44 | 45 | | wider community as a member of the Bremond Chamber of Commerce and |
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| 45 | 46 | | of the committee that launched the Polish Day festival in 1988; |
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| 46 | 47 | | moreover, she was the Democratic Party precinct chair and an |
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| 47 | 48 | | election worker for many years; and |
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| 48 | 49 | | WHEREAS, Mrs. Yezak took great pride in her seven |
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| 49 | 50 | | grandchildren, Eliot, Job, Kie, Menzie, Jackson, Todd, and Yancie, |
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| 50 | 51 | | and her great-granddaughter, Georgia; she enjoyed watching Texas |
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| 51 | 52 | | A&M and Dallas Cowboys football games, going out to eat, playing 42 |
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| 52 | 53 | | dominos, doing crosswords, and following current events with MSNBC, |
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| 53 | 54 | | CNN, the Waco Tribune-Herald, The Eagle, and the Dallas Morning |
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| 54 | 55 | | News; moreover, she liked to mow the yard, check on the cows, and |
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| 55 | 56 | | take care of her four cats, Scrap, Smug, T-Face, and Yellowneck, as |
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| 56 | 57 | | well as her "part-time yard dog," Clyde, whose owner, Tinka Hopcus, |
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| 57 | 58 | | was a dear neighbor; and |
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| 58 | 59 | | WHEREAS, Betty Yezak made a positive difference in her |
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| 59 | 60 | | beloved community, and although she is sadly missed by her family, |
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| 60 | 61 | | her friends, and her loyal readers, those who were privileged to |
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| 61 | 62 | | know her will forever remember her warmth, enthusiasm, and profound |
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| 62 | 63 | | sense of community; now, therefore, be it |
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| 63 | 64 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 64 | 65 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Betty Yezak and extend |
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| 65 | 66 | | sincere condolences to all who mourn her passing; and, be it further |
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| 66 | 67 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 67 | 68 | | prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 68 | 69 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Betty |
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| 69 | 70 | | Yezak. |
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