| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 22 |
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| 2 | 2 | | In Memory |
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| 3 | 3 | | of |
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| 4 | 4 | | Mark Allen McWilliams |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Words cannot express the sorrow felt by family and |
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| 6 | 6 | | friends at the loss of the Reverend Mark Allen McWilliams of |
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| 7 | 7 | | Starrville Methodist Church, who died on January 3, 2021, at the |
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| 8 | 8 | | age of 62; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Mark McWilliams was born in Amarillo on May 17, |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1958, and in 1976, he graduated from Amarillo High School, where |
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| 11 | 11 | | he was a member of the wrestling team; he went on to work for 20 |
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| 12 | 12 | | years at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pantex Plant in |
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| 13 | 13 | | Amarillo; and |
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| 14 | 14 | | WHEREAS, A man of deep religious conviction, |
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| 15 | 15 | | Mr. McWilliams was licensed as a minister by the International |
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| 16 | 16 | | Ministerial Fellowship, and after his retirement from Pantex, he |
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| 17 | 17 | | became a hospice chaplain in Bullhead City, Arizona; over the |
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| 18 | 18 | | years, he also preached at several churches in Amarillo, |
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| 19 | 19 | | including Ministerios La Cosecha; in addition, he and his wife, |
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| 20 | 20 | | Rosemary, were members and prayer ministers at Trinity |
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| 21 | 21 | | Fellowship Church; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, In 2017, Pastor McWilliams and his wife moved to |
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| 23 | 23 | | East Texas, and in June 2019, he was called to become the pastor |
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| 24 | 24 | | of Starrville Methodist Church, where he also started a weekly |
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| 25 | 25 | | community prayer service; he tragically lost his life defending |
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| 26 | 26 | | his congregation from an intruder; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Mark McWilliams lived a rich and purposeful life |
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| 28 | 28 | | dedicated to his faith, and although he was taken much too soon, |
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| 29 | 29 | | he leaves behind a legacy of service that will continue to |
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| 30 | 30 | | inspire all those who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it |
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| 31 | 31 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th |
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| 32 | 32 | | Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the memory of Mark Allen |
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| 33 | 33 | | McWilliams and extend heartfelt sympathy to the members of his |
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| 34 | 34 | | family: to his wife, Rosemary; to his brother, Laine McWilliams; |
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| 35 | 35 | | to his niece and nephew, Alyssa Jenkins and Dustin McWilliams; |
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| 36 | 36 | | and to his great-niece, Makala Robertson; and, be it further |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be |
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| 38 | 38 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns |
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| 39 | 39 | | this day, it do so in memory of Mark Allen McWilliams. |
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| 40 | 40 | | Hughes |
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| 41 | 41 | | ________________________________ |
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| 42 | 42 | | President of the Senate |
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| 43 | 43 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 44 | 44 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 45 | 45 | | the Senate on February 9, 2021, by |
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| 46 | 46 | | a rising vote. |
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| 47 | 47 | | ________________________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 49 | 49 | | ________________________________ |
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| 50 | 50 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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