H.R. No. 1141
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends were deeply saddened by the
passing of admired educator Lou Ellen Truesdale of Killeen on
December 31, 2022, at the age of 77; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Joe and Bernice Cooper, the former
Ellen Cooper was born on November 6, 1945; she grew up on the family
farm between Holland and Salado with six younger siblings, James,
Rebecca, Peggy, Wanda, Karen, and John; after graduating from
Holland High School, she completed her bachelor's degree in health
and physical education at Mary Hardin-Baylor College and began
teaching at Sugar Loaf Elementary School in Killeen; on July 20,
1968, she was joined in matrimony to Charles A. Truesdale; and
WHEREAS, When Smith Middle School opened on Fort Hood,
Mrs. Truesdale was recruited to teach P.E. and coach volleyball,
basketball, and track; she then joined the faculty of the new
Ellison High School, where she initially coached and taught both
health and P.E.; later, she focused on teaching and launched
Ellison's first outdoor education and CPR/first aid classes; she
was a mentor to other teachers, and she and her husband took her
outdoor education students on overnight campouts; named Secondary
Teacher of the Year for 1981 by the Killeen Classroom Teachers
Association, she was honored as Outstanding Teacher of the Year at
Ellison as well; in 2002, she retired, following a distinguished
35-year career; and
WHEREAS, A woman of faith, Mrs. Truesdale joined First United
Methodist Church in 1968 and became very active in worship groups
and such activities as MYF, Sunday school, fried pie-making, and
Abigail Circle, which she particularly enjoyed; she and her husband
spent countless happy hours camping, backpacking, canoeing,
hunting, and fishing together, especially in the Rocky Mountains of
Colorado and Wyoming and with Remington Steel, their treasured dog;
for 45 years, Mrs. Truesdale was a committee member of the
Killeen/Fort Hood Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and she was a race
official for Texas Water Safari for almost three decades; she was
also an officer of the Governor Samuel Mathews Chapter, National
Society Colonial Dames XVII Century; and
WHEREAS, Although Ellen Truesdale is greatly missed by those
she left behind, they will forever remember the warmth and kindness
she brought into their lives; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Lou Ellen Truesdale
and extend sincere condolences to the members of her family: to her
husband, Chuck Truesdale; to her siblings, Peggy Sralla, Wanda
Cooper, Karen Sanders, and John Cooper; and to all others who mourn
her passing; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Lou Ellen
Truesdale.
Buckley
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1141 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on April 28, 2023.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House