| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, A full and generous life drew to a close with the |
|
|
passing of Joel A. Garza of Weslaco on June 21, 2021, at the age of |
|
|
84; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Born in Weslaco on April 18, 1937, Joe Garza was the |
|
|
son of Victor and Josefa Martinez Garza, and he grew up with the |
|
|
companionship of four siblings, Humberto, Maria, Nora, and Victor; |
|
|
in 1956, he graduated from Weslaco High School, where he played |
|
|
running back and helped the Panther football team advance to the |
|
|
state semifinals in 1955; he later attended St. Mary's University |
|
|
while serving with the Texas National Guard; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Following his honorable discharge in 1962, |
|
|
Mr. Garza began his career in social work with the Texas Department |
|
|
of Public Welfare; he served as an administrator for government |
|
|
assistance programs and retired in 1990 as a program director with |
|
|
the Texas Department of Human Services; dedicated to his community, |
|
|
he gave generously of his time and talents to numerous |
|
|
organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, the Boy Scouts of |
|
|
America, the American Cancer Society, and Valley Interfaith; in |
|
|
addition, he was active in city politics and was instrumental in |
|
|
Weslaco adopting single-member districts; he was also passionate |
|
|
about agriculture, and he farmed various crops in the United States |
|
|
and Mexico, growing all of his produce organically; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Garza married the former Maria Evangelina |
|
|
Hinojosa in September 1961, and the couple shared a rewarding union |
|
|
that spanned nearly six decades; he was the proud father of 6 |
|
|
children, Cynthia, Melinda, Jaime, Judith, Angela, and Joel, and |
|
|
over the years, he was further blessed with 17 grandchildren; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Joe Garza possessed a generosity of spirit that |
|
|
expressed itself in myriad ways, and he enriched the lives of |
|
|
countless people with his warmth and kindness; now, therefore, be |
|
|
it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
|
|
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the memory |
|
|
of Joel A. Garza and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his |
|
|
family: to his wife, Evangelina Garza; to his children, Cynthia |
|
|
Cardenas and her husband, Gilbert, Melinda Garza and her husband, |
|
|
Bernie, Jaime Garza and his wife, Terri, Judith Blas and her |
|
|
husband, Jesse, Angela Cantu and her husband, Robert, and Joel |
|
|
Garza and his wife, Lindsey; to his brother, Victor Garza and his |
|
|
wife, Elva; to his brother-in-law, Claudio Perez; to his |
|
|
grandchildren; and to his other relatives and friends; 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 Joe Garza. |
| |
|
|
Martinez |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 55 was unanimously adopted by a rising |
|
|
vote of the House on August 30, 2021. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |