89R24092 JRI-D
By: Martinez Fischer H.R. No. 848
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A life dedicated to the pursuit of social justice
and human rights drew to a close with the passing of Daniel Chris
Graney of San Antonio on July 11, 2024, at the age of 75; and
WHEREAS, Born on May 16, 1949, in Norfolk, Nebraska, Dan
Graney spent part of his youth in foster care before being adopted
by a Lutheran minister and his wife at age 18; after graduating from
St. John's College in Winfield, Kansas, he received his
undergraduate degree from Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne,
Indiana, and his master of divinity degree from Christ
Seminary-Seminex; ordained as a Lutheran minister, he began his
clerical career serving San Francisco's Mission District Hispanic
community; and
WHEREAS, While undertaking his ministerial studies,
Mr. Graney met his first love, a Franciscan priest named Roberto
Flores; in 1977, the pair moved to Houston, where Mr. Graney served
as a minister and paralegal for undocumented immigrants; he was
elected as a bishop of the Texas Province of the Southwest Regional
Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, but he was forced to resign
after church officials learned about his relationship; pivoting to
a career in law, he graduated as valedictorian of his class at Texas
Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1987, and
he went on to relocate his practice, which primarily focused on
immigration law, to San Antonio in 1992; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Graney and Mr. Flores shared 35 years together
before they were able to legally marry in Vermont on October 15,
2009; after Mr. Flores passed away, Mr. Graney was fortunate enough
to find love again, and on June 9, 2017, he wed Rolando Jaimes
Mesco, who served as his devoted caregiver throughout his medical
challenges; and
WHEREAS, Despite retiring from his work as an attorney due to
health issues in 1993, Mr. Graney continued to make an impact
through his involvement with San Antonio's LGBT community; he
served as cofounder of the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio, as
chair of the Bexar County Democratic Party, and as president of the
Stonewall Democratic Caucus for the 2008 Texas Democratic Party
Convention; additionally, as co-chair of the Community Alliance for
a United San Antonio, he helped secure the historic passage of a
citywide nondiscrimination ordinance in 2013; and
WHEREAS, Dan Graney touched countless lives through his
selfless service and his unwavering commitment to the rights of the
marginalized, and he leaves behind a legacy that will long be
remembered; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Daniel Chris Graney
and extend deepest condolences to all those who mourn his passing;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dan Graney.