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  H.R. No. 485
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
 
         WHEREAS, A rich and joyful life drew to a close with the
  passing of Joseph Vincent Tortorice Sr. of Beaumont on December 20,
  2014, at the age of 90; and
         WHEREAS, Joe Tortorice was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana, on
  September 12, 1924, to Salvatore and Rosa Tortorice, and he was
  raised in Beaumont; the fifth of seven children, he grew up in a
  large and loving family, and he learned his strong work ethic at an
  early age by watching his father, a Sicilian immigrant, rise early
  and return late each day from the small café that he owned; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Tortorice proved himself a talented athlete in
  high school, earning selection to the All City teams in football,
  baseball, and basketball; during his junior year, he left school to
  enlist in the armed forces, and he served in Europe with the 17th
  Signal Corps of the 1st Army; he was 19 when he went ashore in
  Normandy three days after D-Day, and over the ensuing months, he
  advanced with his unit through France, Holland, Belgium, and into
  Germany; he was at the Battle of the Bulge, and he helped liberate
  the concentration camp at Buchenwald; and
         WHEREAS, Once home again, Mr. Tortorice returned to high
  school as a senior to complete his education, and there he met his
  future wife, Margaret Rose Montalbano; they were married for 67
  years, until his death, and they raised four children, Joe, Judy,
  Pinky, and Suzanne; later in life, he was blessed with 15
  grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Tortorice began his career as a salesman for a
  wholesale grocery company; he subsequently struck out on his own,
  buying a grocery store and building on that business until he owned
  four groceries, two laundromats, two dry cleaners, and a small
  sandwich shop, J's BBQ and Washateria; and
         WHEREAS, In 1976, Mr. Tortorice's son, Joe, built upon that
  small sandwich shop and opened the first Jason's Deli in a shopping
  center in Beaumont; from the company's earliest days, Joe Tortorice
  Sr. provided guidance and financial support, and as the company
  grew to include 253 locations in 29 states, he remained an
  inspirational and beloved figure to the company's employees; and
         WHEREAS, Mr. Tortorice retired in 1990, and in his newfound
  leisure he delighted in traveling with his wife, fishing at their
  beach house, playing golf, and spending many happy hours with his
  grandchildren and great-grandchildren; a man of strong religious
  faith, he attended the Manresa Jesuit Retreat in Convent,
  Louisiana, for 17 years, often accompanied by his sons,
  sons-in-law, and grandsons; and
         WHEREAS, A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Joe
  Tortorice Sr. was a loving patriarch who was affectionately known
  as "Pop" to his family and as "Big Joe" to his other family at
  Jason's Deli; in spite of the physical hardships of his final years,
  this warm and witty man lived life to the fullest right to the end,
  and the memory of his determination and boundless joie de vivre will
  forever inspire all those he has left behind; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
  Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Joseph Vincent
  Tortorice Sr. and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
  family: to his wife, Margaret Montalbano Tortorice; to his son,
  Joseph V. Tortorice Jr., and his wife, Shelley Bill; to his
  daughters, Judy McFarland and her husband, Larry, Pinky Carden and
  her husband, Bill, and Suzanne Jones and her husband, Dave; to his
  grandchildren, Joseph V. Tortorice III, Robert C. Tortorice,
  Ashley C. Messina, Amy Srader, Cody McFarland, Lindsey Parish,
  Polly Hixson, Kathryn Jefferson, William Carden III, Leesa Carden,
  Julie Hebert, Ross Jones, Charlie Jones, Hunter Jones, and Taylor
  Jones; to his great-grandchildren, Joseph, Luke, Lainey, Robert,
  Josephine, Mary Margaret, Georgia, Olivia, Maceo, Addie, Landon,
  Brady, Emma, Charles, Rosabelle, and Poppy Rose; and to his other
  relatives and many 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 Joseph
  Vincent Tortorice Sr.
 
  Phelan
 
 
Straus Guerra Otto
 
Allen Guillen Paddie
 
Alonzo Gutierrez Parker
 
Alvarado Harless Paul
 
Anchia Hernandez Peña
 
Anderson of Dallas Herrero Phelan
 
Anderson of McLennan Howard Phillips
 
Ashby Huberty Pickett
 
Aycock Hughes Price
 
Bell Hunter Raney
 
Blanco Isaac Raymond
 
Bohac Israel Reynolds
 
Bonnen of Brazoria Johnson Riddle
 
Bonnen of Galveston Kacal Rinaldi
 
Burkett Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar
 
Burns Keough Rodriguez of Travis
 
Burrows King of Hemphill Romero, Jr.
 
Button King of Parker Rose
 
Canales King of Taylor Sanford
 
Capriglione King of Uvalde Schaefer
 
Clardy Klick Schofield
 
Coleman Koop Shaheen
 
Collier Krause Sheets
 
Cook Kuempel Sheffield
 
Craddick Landgraf Simmons
 
Crownover Larson Simpson
 
Dale Laubenberg Smith
 
Darby Leach Smithee
 
Davis of Dallas Longoria Spitzer
 
Davis of Harris Lozano Springer
 
Deshotel Lucio III Stephenson
 
Dukes Márquez Stickland
 
Dutton Martinez Thompson of Brazoria
 
Elkins Martinez Fischer Thompson of Harris
 
Faircloth McClendon Tinderholt
 
Fallon Menéndez Turner of Collin
 
Farias Metcalf Turner of Harris
 
Farney Meyer Turner of Tarrant
 
Farrar Miles VanDeaver
 
Fletcher Miller of Comal Villalba
 
Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo
 
Frank Moody Walle
 
Frullo Morrison White of Bell
 
Galindo Muñoz, Jr. White of Tyler
 
Geren Murphy Workman
 
Giddings Murr Wray
 
Goldman Naishtat Wu
 
Gonzales Nevárez Zedler
 
González Oliveira Zerwas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 485 was unanimously adopted by a rising
  vote of the House on February 16, 2015.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House