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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Family and friends are mourning the loss of Vernon |
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Neal Billings of Val Verde County, who passed away on January 16, |
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2011, at the age of 68; and |
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WHEREAS, Born to Neal and Josephine Billings in Del Rio on |
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October 6, 1942, Mr. Billings studied veterinary medicine at Texas |
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A&I University in Kingsville and Sul Ross State University in |
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Alpine; answering his nation's call to duty, he enlisted in the U.S. |
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Army in 1967 and served for two years in the Vietnam War; his |
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deployment ended when he was wounded in combat; and |
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WHEREAS, Neal Billings subsequently worked as manager of the |
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Winters Ranch, an operation based in Del Rio, until he joined the |
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Texas Department of Transportation as manager of the Judge Roy Bean |
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Visitor Center in 1987; he held the latter post for 20 years, until |
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his retirement, and during his tenure he oversaw the complete |
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renovation of the historic site; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the years, this esteemed Texan contributed |
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significantly to his community and the surrounding region; he was a |
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longtime member of the board of directors for the Langtry Community |
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Center and the Langtry Water System, and he served for some two |
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decades on the board of the Comstock Independent School District; |
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he also maintained an affiliation with the Big Bend Area Travel |
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Association for nearly a quarter of a century; and |
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WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Mr. Billings enjoyed the |
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love and companionship of his wife, Eddie Jean; the couple married |
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in 1966 and were blessed with two children, J. J. and Neal, as well |
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as four grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, While the death of Neal Billings has brought great |
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sorrow to his family and friends, he has left behind a legacy that |
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will long be treasured by all those who held him dear; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Vernon Neal |
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Billings and extend sincere condolences to the members of his |
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family: to his wife, Eddie Jean Wurz Billings; to his daughter, |
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J. J. Thompson, and her husband, Danny; to his son, Neal Billings, |
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Jr., and his wife, Angela; to his grandchildren, Dylan Langtry |
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Thompson and Caden Mylis Thompson and Hailey Marie and Neal Edward |
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Billings; to his sisters, Vi Cloud, June Burk and her husband, |
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Bobby, Mary Lou Petty, and Ginger Marshall and her husband, Jerry; |
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and to his other relatives and friends; 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 House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Neal |
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Billings. |