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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, All who shared in the life of Manuel Valdes |
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| 6 | 7 | | LaFont Jr. were deeply saddened by his untimely death in June 2021, |
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| 7 | 8 | | at the age of 54; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born in Houston on January 27, 1967, Manny LaFont |
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| 9 | 10 | | was the son of Myriam Matilde Manresa de Valdes-LaFont and Manuel |
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| 10 | 11 | | Valdes LaFont, who both emigrated from Cuba; he grew up in the |
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| 11 | 12 | | Robindell neighborhood with two sisters and attended Richmond |
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| 12 | 13 | | Elementary School and Sharpstown Junior and Senior High Schools; a |
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| 13 | 14 | | talented athlete and baseball fanatic, he was a member of Little |
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| 14 | 15 | | League and high school teams and played at Hill College and in a |
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| 15 | 16 | | local Cuban league; after completing his bachelor's degree in |
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| 16 | 17 | | business administration at the University of Houston, he embarked |
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| 17 | 18 | | on a career in the road safety industry; he eventually moved to the |
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| 18 | 19 | | Miami, Florida, area and led a division of Lindsay Transportation |
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| 19 | 20 | | Solutions; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Mr. LaFont and his former wife, Adriana LaFont, were |
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| 21 | 22 | | the proud parents of a daughter, Mia, and a son, Santi; his world |
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| 22 | 23 | | revolved around his children, and almost every day, he rode bikes |
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| 23 | 24 | | with them on the beach, took them to the park, and played baseball |
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| 24 | 25 | | with his son; as coach of his son's baseball team, the Astros, he |
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| 25 | 26 | | was kind and encouraging to all of the players, offering positive |
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| 26 | 27 | | reinforcement for good efforts and personal improvement; when team |
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| 27 | 28 | | members moved on, he stayed in touch with their parents and |
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| 28 | 29 | | continued to follow their progress; he volunteered as a youth |
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| 29 | 30 | | basketball coach as well; and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, A man of strong faith, Mr. LaFont was a parishioner |
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| 31 | 32 | | of St. Patrick Catholic Church, where his children attended school; |
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| 32 | 33 | | his big heart, big personality, and marvelous sense of humor |
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| 33 | 34 | | brought him a host of friendships, and he always stayed especially |
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| 34 | 35 | | close to his Houston schoolmates, including many he had known since |
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| 35 | 36 | | kindergarten; during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was a steadfast |
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| 36 | 37 | | source of support and consolation to those in his circle, talking |
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| 37 | 38 | | for hours on the phone about their challenges; he never hesitated to |
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| 38 | 39 | | express his love to those he held dear; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, Manny LaFont possessed a generosity of spirit that |
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| 40 | 41 | | revealed itself in myriad ways, and although his loss is difficult |
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| 41 | 42 | | to bear, memories of joyous times spent in his company will forever |
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| 42 | 43 | | illuminate the lives of those he left behind; now, therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 44 | 45 | | Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of |
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| 45 | 46 | | Manuel Valdes "Manny" LaFont Jr. and extend sincere condolences to |
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| 46 | 47 | | all who mourn his passing; and, be it further |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 48 | 49 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 49 | 50 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Manuel |
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| 50 | 51 | | Valdes "Manny" LaFont. |
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