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