79R8626 MAM-D

By:  Eiland                                                       H.R. No. 695



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Houston firefighter Captain Grady Burke of Texas 
City died in the line of duty on February 19, 2005, at the age of 39, 
and the tragic passing of this heroic individual has deeply 
saddened the community he served; and
	WHEREAS, Born on January 31, 1966, to Don and Sue Burke in 
Houston, Grady Burke grew up attending Sun Valley Church of Christ 
and graduated from South Houston High School in 1984; he then 
attended the College of the Mainland Firefighting Academy and, 
after serving for four years with the Texas City Fire Department, 
joined the Houston Fire Department, becoming captain in 2003; he 
was an expert driver who trained other firefighters at the national 
driving course, and last year he received a unit medal of valor for 
rescuing a trapped victim from a house fire; and
	WHEREAS, Throughout his career, this outstanding public 
servant established a record of meritorious service, loyalty, 
personal courage, and self-sacrifice consistent with the highest 
ideals of the firefighting profession; and
	WHEREAS, A humble, fun-loving family man, Captain Burke loved 
spending time with his wife, Cindy, whom he met and married in 1992, 
and their three children; he enjoyed taking the kids to the park and 
having tickle fights, and he also cherished the time spent with his 
close friend, Greg Brooks; as longtime pals, Mr. Burke and Mr. 
Brooks called themselves twin sons of different mothers; they both 
married women named Cindy, had three children, and served as 
captains in the Houston Fire Department; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Burke was a devoted Christian and member of the 
Southeast Church of Christ in Friendswood; he was an integral part 
of the Children's Ministry, the praise team, and semiannual family 
campouts, where you could find him encouraging people to have fun; 
he also led prayers in church assembly and was the featured speaker 
at this year's Father Daughter Banquet; and
	WHEREAS, Grady Burke was a passionate defender of life and 
property, and while he will be greatly missed, the legacy of 
character, dedication, and bravery he leaves behind will not soon 
be forgotten; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Captain Grady Burke 
and extend deepest sympathy to the members of his family:  to his 
wife, Cindy; to his daughters, Hannah and Hailey; to his son, 
Hunter; to his parents, Don and Sue Burke; to his sister, Karen 
Stubblefield and her husband, Lyndall; to his brother, Paul Burke 
and his wife, Cheryl; to his close friends, Greg Brooks, Darren 
Schaffer, and Mark Mayfield; to his nieces and nephews, Kristen and 
Chase Havens, Kendall and Kinsey Stubblefield, Jesse and Jenna 
Burke, Philip and Joshua Burke, Sarah and Ryan Taylor, and Stephen 
and Katherine Davis; and to the other family and many friends of 
this fine man; 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 Captain 
Grady Burke.