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