| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 431 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Memories of a life well lived may help to comfort |
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| 6 | 6 | | those saddened by the passing of the Reverend Howard Leroy |
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| 7 | 7 | | Bloomquist of Weslaco on February 15, 2023, at the age of 80; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Born in Rockford, Illinois, on May 8, 1942, Howard |
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| 9 | 9 | | Bloomquist was the son of Elmer and Georgia Bloomquist, and he grew |
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| 10 | 10 | | up with the companionship of a brother, George; in 1963, he was |
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| 11 | 11 | | joined in marriage to Delores Kraemer, and the couple went on to |
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| 12 | 12 | | share a fulfilling union that spanned nearly six decades; they were |
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| 13 | 13 | | blessed with four children, Kristine, Kevin, Kirk, and the late |
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| 14 | 14 | | Craig Alan Bloomquist, and their family later grew to include five |
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| 15 | 15 | | grandchildren, Brittany, Blake, Brock, Brooke, and Braxton, and two |
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| 16 | 16 | | great-grandchildren, Averee and Addisyn; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, Reverend Bloomquist earned a bachelor's degree in |
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| 18 | 18 | | theology from Minnesota Bible College; he began his ministerial |
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| 19 | 19 | | career in Concord, Minnesota, and went on to pastor in other cities |
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| 20 | 20 | | in the state with additional stops in Illinois and Indiana; along |
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| 21 | 21 | | the way, he served as chaplain at a state penitentiary and as an |
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| 22 | 22 | | emergency medical technician; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | WHEREAS, In 1990, Reverend Bloomquist became the minister at |
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| 24 | 24 | | First Christian Church in Weslaco; he eventually founded Central |
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| 25 | 25 | | Christian Church, which continues to thrive today, and he served |
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| 26 | 26 | | the congregation as pastor until his retirement in 2015; for many |
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| 27 | 27 | | years, he was the chaplain of the Weslaco Police Department, John |
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| 28 | 28 | | Knox Village, and Knapp Medical Center; he gave generously of his |
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| 29 | 29 | | time and talents to the community in countless other capacities, |
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| 30 | 30 | | including as a Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce "Red Coat" |
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| 31 | 31 | | ambassador and as an active member of the Weslaco Rotary Club; in |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2010, he was selected as the Weslaco Outstanding Citizen of the |
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| 33 | 33 | | Year; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Howard Bloomquist lived a rich and purposeful life |
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| 35 | 35 | | devoted to his family, his faith, and his community, and he will be |
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| 36 | 36 | | deeply missed by all those who held him dear; now, therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 38 | 38 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Reverend Howard |
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| 39 | 39 | | Leroy Bloomquist and extend sincere condolences to his loved ones; |
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| 40 | 40 | | and, be it further |
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| 41 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 42 | 42 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 43 | 43 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of the |
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| 44 | 44 | | Reverend Howard Bloomquist. |
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| 45 | 45 | | Martinez |
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| 46 | 46 | | ______________________________ |
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| 47 | 47 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 48 | 48 | | I certify that H.R. No. 431 was unanimously adopted by a |
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| 49 | 49 | | rising vote of the House on March 16, 2023. |
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| 50 | 50 | | ______________________________ |
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| 51 | 51 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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