H.R. No. 763
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends will forever treasure their
memories of Guillermo Evaristo Avila of El Paso, who died on
February 4, 2017, at the age of 87; and
WHEREAS, "Memo" Avila was born in El Paso on November 6, 1929,
to Evaristo and Carmen Avila; he began working at the age of 12, as a
delivery boy and butcher in his father's grocery store; after
graduating as valedictorian from El Paso Technical High School, he
attended the Texas College of Mines; from 1948 to 1956, he served
his nation as a member of the National Guard; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Avila was joined in matrimony to Isabel
Lightbourn in 1953, and they shared their lives for more than 63
years; he was the proud father of four children, Bill, Andy,
Annette, and Amanda, and later in life, he was blessed with six
grandchildren, James, Thomas, Kristina, Roldan, Anthony, and
Lucas; and
WHEREAS, In 1952, Mr. Avila bought one of the popular Leo's
Mexican Restaurant locations from his uncles, Leo Collins and
Willie Terrazas, and he taught himself to cook while his father ran
the dining room; they moved the restaurant to the Coronado Shopping
Center in 1962, and a decade later, Mr. Avila built his own
restaurant on North Mesa Street, changing the name from Leo's to
Avila's in 1988 and opening another location on the east side of El
Paso; the Mesa Street location is still thriving under the
direction of his children Andy and Annette; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Avila also owned a self-storage business, an
apartment building, a trailer park, a chili-processing business,
and other enterprises; he served as president of the El Paso
Restaurant Association and as a board member of Pan American
Savings and Loan, the American Heart Association, the Greater El
Paso Chamber of Commerce, and the El Paso Community Foundation,
among others; he was inducted into the Texas Restaurant
Association's Hall of Honor and named Outstanding Restaurateur of
the Year in 1980; and
WHEREAS, A founding member of the Santa Teresa Country Club,
Mr. Avila was an avid golfer for nearly four decades, playing until
he was 80 years old; he expressed his strong religious faith by
regularly attending St. Matthew Catholic Church; and
WHEREAS, A loving husband, a doting father and grandfather,
and a hardworking entrepreneur, Memo Avila lived a full and
generous life, and he will forever be a source of inspiration to all
those who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Guillermo Evaristo
Avila and extend heartfelt sympathy to his 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 Memo Avila.
Moody
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 763 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 16, 2017.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House