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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A full and productive life drew to a close with the |
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passing of Cherry Ruth Rainone of Arlington on March 8, 2012, at the |
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age of 82; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on the Harrison Farm in Shelby County on |
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February 10, 1930, the former Cherry Harrison was the daughter of |
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Dean and Beulah Harrison; in 1946, she moved to Fort Worth, and she |
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went on to graduate from Arlington Heights High School; she showed |
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early talent as a writer and was encouraged to develop her craft by |
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her mother's first cousin, country music and movie star Tex Ritter, |
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and her paternal grandfather, Jacob Harrison; and |
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WHEREAS, This gracious and gifted Texan was joined in |
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matrimony to Dr. Carl Rainone, and they became the parents of four |
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children, Frank, Greg, Pete, and Tom; while her sons were young, |
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Mrs. Rainone frequently welcomed their friends into her home; she |
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was a rancher, an organic farmer, and an excellent cook, and her |
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husband, the team dentist for the Texas Rangers, often brought |
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players home to enjoy the wonderful Italian meals she prepared; |
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baseball greats Ted Williams, Phil Rizzuto, and Billy Martin were |
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among her guests, as were family, friends, and Hollywood actors; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, From her youth, Mrs. Rainone wrote for local and |
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national publications; she also composed poetry and lyrics that |
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were used in productions in Fort Worth and Arlington, as well as in |
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movies her son Tom worked on in Hollywood; an art aficionado, she |
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founded Rainone Galleries with her husband in 1955, and she |
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promoted, collected, and sold the work of Texan and American |
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artists before it was fashionable; her gallery helped build some of |
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the top American art collections in the country, among them the Bill |
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and Irma Runyon Collection of American Art at Texas A&M University; |
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Mrs. Rainone assisted in the selection of paintings for the Jack |
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Blanton family, which are now housed in the Blanton Museum at The |
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University of Texas at Austin, and she played a role in the |
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acquisition of early Texas art for the State Capitol; in 2003, she |
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was featured in Texas Monthly magazine's "Texas Women" edition; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Rainone loved animals and rescued numerous pets |
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over the years; keen on fishing, she enjoyed taking trips |
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throughout Texas and all over the world with her husband and their |
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friends; Dr. and Mrs. Rainone shared a fulfilling marriage until |
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his untimely death in 1987; and |
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WHEREAS, Although Cherry Rainone is deeply missed, memories |
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of her engaging personality, her kindness, and her wisdom remain to |
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comfort those she left behind; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Cherry Ruth Rainone |
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and extend sincere sympathy to the members of her family: to her |
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sons Frank Rainone, Greg Rainone and his wife, Suray, Pete Rainone, |
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and Tom Rainone; to her granddaughter, Emily Morgan; to her |
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great-grandson, Cannen; to her brothers and sisters, Madelyn |
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Cooley, Faye Spence, Carroll Harrison, Jerrell Harrison, Sam |
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Harrison, and Mary Nicolaus; and to her many other relatives and |
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friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the members of her family and that when the Texas House |
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of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Cherry |
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Ruth Rainone. |