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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, Hawthorn Funeral Home is celebrating its 100th |
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| 6 | 7 | | anniversary in 2021, and this occasion presents a welcome |
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| 7 | 8 | | opportunity to reflect on the many contributions this respected |
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| 8 | 9 | | business has made to the community of Carthage; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Members of the Hawthorn family first came to Panola |
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| 10 | 11 | | County in the 1860s, and in 1921, one of the descendants of the |
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| 11 | 12 | | original settlers, Stephen Adolphus "Tebe" Hawthorn, founded |
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| 12 | 13 | | Hawthorn Hardware and Company, which also sold caskets and rented a |
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| 13 | 14 | | horse drawn wagon for use as a hearse; Tebe Hawthorn's son Neal |
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| 14 | 15 | | later joined the business, and he eventually turned his home on West |
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| 15 | 16 | | Wellington Street into Hawthorn Funeral Home, the first |
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| 16 | 17 | | full-service undertaking business in Panola County, offering |
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| 17 | 18 | | livery, caskets, embalming, and funeral direction from one |
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| 18 | 19 | | location; and |
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| 19 | 20 | | WHEREAS, The family went on to hire Mark Osborne, a licensed |
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| 20 | 21 | | funeral director and embalmer, and after Neal Hawthorn died in |
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| 21 | 22 | | 1947, Mr. Osborne continued to run the business; in 1965, he |
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| 22 | 23 | | oversaw an expansion of the facilities, adding a full sanctuary, a |
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| 23 | 24 | | music room, private family seating, and the building's distinctive |
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| 24 | 25 | | formal colonnade; he married Neal Hawthorn's widow, Alice, in 1968, |
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| 25 | 26 | | and together the couple operated the funeral home until their |
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| 26 | 27 | | retirement in 1975; and |
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| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, In the following years, the funeral home changed |
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| 28 | 29 | | hands several times, until it was purchased by Carlton Shamburger, |
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| 29 | 30 | | who started at the mortuary as an apprentice funeral director in the |
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| 30 | 31 | | 1990s and rose to become manager and funeral director in charge; |
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| 31 | 32 | | guided by the experience of former owner Mark Osborne and longtime |
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| 32 | 33 | | employees Don Honeycutt and Melvin Johns, Mr. Shamburger took over |
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| 33 | 34 | | the business and oversaw a renovation of the building; and |
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| 34 | 35 | | WHEREAS, Today, Hawthorn Funeral Home is owned and operated |
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| 35 | 36 | | by the Shamburger Family Partnership LP, which includes |
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| 36 | 37 | | Mr. Shamburger's children, Katherine, Meredith, and Benjamin, who |
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| 37 | 38 | | help to carry on the long-standing traditions of this historic |
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| 38 | 39 | | Panola County enterprise; the legacy of the Hawthorn family is |
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| 39 | 40 | | maintained by the granddaughters of Neal Hawthorn, Beth and |
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| 40 | 41 | | Barbara; and |
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| 41 | 42 | | WHEREAS, For the past century, Hawthorn Funeral Home has |
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| 42 | 43 | | played an invaluable role in the lives of countless families in |
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| 43 | 44 | | Carthage and Panola County, and it is fitting that this notable |
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| 44 | 45 | | enterprise be recognized for its compassionate and dedicated |
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| 45 | 46 | | service; now, therefore, be it |
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| 46 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 47 | 48 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Hawthorn Funeral Home on its |
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| 48 | 49 | | centennial and extend to all those associated with the business |
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| 49 | 50 | | sincere best wishes for the future; 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 Hawthorn Funeral Home as an expression of high regard |
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| 52 | 53 | | by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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