79R10427 MDM-D

By:  Brown of Kaufman                                             H.R. No. 971



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, In recognition of her 80th birthday, Mary Doyle 
Smith of Athens was the guest of honor at a family-hosted 
celebration held on March 12, 2005, at Eastern Hills Church of 
Christ; and
	WHEREAS, A native of the Ash community in Henderson County, 
the former Mary Doyle Tanner was born on March 11, 1925, the 
youngest of four children; after graduating from Athens High School 
in 1943, she worked for a Dallas insurance company until 1945, when 
she married Odus Melton Houston; and
	WHEREAS, Over the course of her husband's career with A&P and 
the Sherwin-Williams Company, this lovely lady raised two children 
while living in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas; in 1965, she 
rejoined the workforce as an employee of Montgomery Ward in Tyler; 
eight years later, she and her husband moved to Athens, where they 
owned the Gulf Oil distributorship in that city until 1990, and she 
worked for the new owner for seven additional years, during which 
time she became a widow; and
	WHEREAS, Fortunate to find love a second time, she married 
Ernest Smith in 1997; her cherished family today includes a 
daughter, Delayne Houston Warner and her husband, Jay, a son, 
Donald W. Houston and his wife, Lanita, as well as four adored 
grandchildren, Alice Shawn Gillispie, Stephen Wayne Gillispie, 
Rachel Kim Houston, and Benjamin Lee Houston; and
	WHEREAS, For eight decades, Mary Doyle Smith has been 
treasured by her circle of loved ones for her generous spirit and 
warm, caring nature, and it is a pleasure to recognize this very 
special milestone in her life; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby warmly congratulate Mary Doyle Smith on the 
memorable occasion of her 80th birthday and extend to her sincere 
best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Mrs. Smith as an expression of high regard by the Texas 
House of Representatives.