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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A life lived with joy and purpose drew to a close |
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with the passing of longtime public servant Barbara Edith Otero |
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Perez of El Paso on November 20, 2020, at the age of 76; and |
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WHEREAS, The daughter of Johnny and Julia Otero, the former |
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Barbara Otero was born in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1944 on her |
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mother's birthday, April 12; she grew up with the company of four |
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treasured siblings, Marty, Rudy, Freda, and Mario, and a very large |
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extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins; following the birth |
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of her son, Gregory, she settled in El Paso, and she worked as an |
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insurance adjuster before becoming marketing director for |
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Dickshire Distributing Company; she married the love of her life, |
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Paul Perez, in 1984, and with their fulfilling relationship she |
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gained two daughters, Amy and Annie, whom she raised as her own; |
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eventually, she became the proud grandmother of Ashlie, Layton, |
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Mattie, and Grayson; nicknamed "Dido" by her loved ones, she knew |
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how to bring out the best in each of them and adored bragging about |
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their achievements; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Perez cofounded the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of |
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Commerce and served as vice chair; in 1993, she won the first of |
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three terms on the city council; she supported small and |
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minority-owned businesses and fought with both grace and tenacity |
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for the issues she cared about, including infrastructure |
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development, fair wages, women's equality, and educating youth |
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about drugs and gang violence; subsequently, she benefited her |
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fellow residents as a trustee of the Socorro Independent School |
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District Board and as an El Paso County commissioner; for three |
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years, she hosted a lively radio call-in show about politics, "Talk |
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of the Town"; she was then elected as justice of the peace, and she |
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so enjoyed officiating at weddings that she continued to perform |
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that service after her term concluded; among numerous accolades, |
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she received the prestigious El Paso Conquistador Award, and she |
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was inducted into the Fort Bliss Women's Hall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, Although Barbara Perez is sadly missed, she left |
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behind a wealth of cherished memories, and her fierce dedication to |
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her family and her community will remain a source of inspiration to |
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all who knew her; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Barbara Edith Otero |
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Perez and extend sincere condolences to her loved ones; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Barbara |
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Edith Otero Perez. |