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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Family and friends will forever treasure their |
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memories of Guillermo Evaristo Avila of El Paso, who died on |
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February 4, 2017, at the age of 87; and |
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WHEREAS, "Memo" Avila was born in El Paso on November 6, 1929, |
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to Evaristo and Carmen Avila; he began working at the age of 12, as a |
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delivery boy and butcher in his father's grocery store; after |
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graduating as valedictorian from El Paso Technical High School, he |
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attended the Texas College of Mines; from 1948 to 1956, he served |
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his nation as a member of the National Guard; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Avila was joined in matrimony to Isabel |
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Lightbourn in 1953, and they shared their lives for more than 63 |
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years; he was the proud father of four children, Bill, Andy, |
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Annette, and Amanda, and later in life, he was blessed with six |
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grandchildren, James, Thomas, Kristina, Roldan, Anthony, and |
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Lucas; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1952, Mr. Avila bought one of the popular Leo's |
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Mexican Restaurant locations from his uncles, Leo Collins and |
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Willie Terrazas, and he taught himself to cook while his father ran |
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the dining room; they moved the restaurant to the Coronado Shopping |
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Center in 1962, and a decade later, Mr. Avila built his own |
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restaurant on North Mesa Street, changing the name from Leo's to |
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Avila's in 1988 and opening another location on the east side of El |
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Paso; the Mesa Street location is still thriving under the |
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direction of his children Andy and Annette; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Avila also owned a self-storage business, an |
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apartment building, a trailer park, a chili-processing business, |
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and other enterprises; he served as president of the El Paso |
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Restaurant Association and as a board member of Pan American |
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Savings and Loan, the American Heart Association, the Greater El |
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Paso Chamber of Commerce, and the El Paso Community Foundation, |
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among others; he was inducted into the Texas Restaurant |
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Association's Hall of Honor and named Outstanding Restaurateur of |
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the Year in 1980; and |
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WHEREAS, A founding member of the Santa Teresa Country Club, |
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Mr. Avila was an avid golfer for nearly four decades, playing until |
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he was 80 years old; he expressed his strong religious faith by |
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regularly attending St. Matthew Catholic Church; and |
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WHEREAS, A loving husband, a doting father and grandfather, |
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and a hardworking entrepreneur, Memo Avila lived a full and |
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generous life, and he will forever be a source of inspiration to all |
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those who knew and loved him; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Guillermo Evaristo |
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Avila and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and friends; |
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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 Memo Avila. |