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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, Family and friends will forever treasure their |
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| 6 | 7 | | memories of Guillermo Evaristo Avila of El Paso, who died on |
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| 7 | 8 | | February 4, 2017, at the age of 87; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, "Memo" Avila was born in El Paso on November 6, 1929, |
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| 9 | 10 | | to Evaristo and Carmen Avila; he began working at the age of 12, as a |
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| 10 | 11 | | delivery boy and butcher in his father's grocery store; after |
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| 11 | 12 | | graduating as valedictorian from El Paso Technical High School, he |
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| 12 | 13 | | attended the Texas College of Mines; from 1948 to 1956, he served |
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| 13 | 14 | | his nation as a member of the National Guard; and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Avila was joined in matrimony to Isabel |
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| 15 | 16 | | Lightbourn in 1953, and they shared their lives for more than 63 |
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| 16 | 17 | | years; he was the proud father of four children, Bill, Andy, |
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| 17 | 18 | | Annette, and Amanda, and later in life, he was blessed with six |
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| 18 | 19 | | grandchildren, James, Thomas, Kristina, Roldan, Anthony, and |
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| 19 | 20 | | Lucas; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, In 1952, Mr. Avila bought one of the popular Leo's |
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| 21 | 22 | | Mexican Restaurant locations from his uncles, Leo Collins and |
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| 22 | 23 | | Willie Terrazas, and he taught himself to cook while his father ran |
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| 23 | 24 | | the dining room; they moved the restaurant to the Coronado Shopping |
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| 24 | 25 | | Center in 1962, and a decade later, Mr. Avila built his own |
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| 25 | 26 | | restaurant on North Mesa Street, changing the name from Leo's to |
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| 26 | 27 | | Avila's in 1988 and opening another location on the east side of El |
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| 27 | 28 | | Paso; the Mesa Street location is still thriving under the |
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| 28 | 29 | | direction of his children Andy and Annette; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Avila also owned a self-storage business, an |
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| 30 | 31 | | apartment building, a trailer park, a chili-processing business, |
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| 31 | 32 | | and other enterprises; he served as president of the El Paso |
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| 32 | 33 | | Restaurant Association and as a board member of Pan American |
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| 33 | 34 | | Savings and Loan, the American Heart Association, the Greater El |
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| 34 | 35 | | Paso Chamber of Commerce, and the El Paso Community Foundation, |
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| 35 | 36 | | among others; he was inducted into the Texas Restaurant |
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| 36 | 37 | | Association's Hall of Honor and named Outstanding Restaurateur of |
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| 37 | 38 | | the Year in 1980; and |
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| 38 | 39 | | WHEREAS, A founding member of the Santa Teresa Country Club, |
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| 39 | 40 | | Mr. Avila was an avid golfer for nearly four decades, playing until |
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| 40 | 41 | | he was 80 years old; he expressed his strong religious faith by |
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| 41 | 42 | | regularly attending St. Matthew Catholic Church; and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, A loving husband, a doting father and grandfather, |
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| 43 | 44 | | and a hardworking entrepreneur, Memo Avila lived a full and |
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| 44 | 45 | | generous life, and he will forever be a source of inspiration to all |
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| 45 | 46 | | those who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it |
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| 46 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 47 | 48 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Guillermo Evaristo |
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| 48 | 49 | | Avila and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and friends; |
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| 49 | 50 | | and, be it further |
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| 50 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 51 | 52 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 52 | 53 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Memo Avila. |
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