| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, All who shared in the life of Manuel Valdes |
|
|
LaFont Jr. were deeply saddened by his untimely death in June 2021, |
|
|
at the age of 54; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Born in Houston on January 27, 1967, Manny LaFont |
|
|
was the son of Myriam Matilde Manresa de Valdes-LaFont and Manuel |
|
|
Valdes LaFont, who both emigrated from Cuba; he grew up in the |
|
|
Robindell neighborhood with two sisters and attended Richmond |
|
|
Elementary School and Sharpstown Junior and Senior High Schools; a |
|
|
talented athlete and baseball fanatic, he was a member of Little |
|
|
League and high school teams and played at Hill College and in a |
|
|
local Cuban league; after completing his bachelor's degree in |
|
|
business administration at the University of Houston, he embarked |
|
|
on a career in the road safety industry; he eventually moved to the |
|
|
Miami, Florida, area and led a division of Lindsay Transportation |
|
|
Solutions; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. LaFont and his former wife, Adriana LaFont, were |
|
|
the proud parents of a daughter, Mia, and a son, Santi; his world |
|
|
revolved around his children, and almost every day, he rode bikes |
|
|
with them on the beach, took them to the park, and played baseball |
|
|
with his son; as coach of his son's baseball team, the Astros, he |
|
|
was kind and encouraging to all of the players, offering positive |
|
|
reinforcement for good efforts and personal improvement; when team |
|
|
members moved on, he stayed in touch with their parents and |
|
|
continued to follow their progress; he volunteered as a youth |
|
|
basketball coach as well; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A man of strong faith, Mr. LaFont was a parishioner |
|
|
of St. Patrick Catholic Church, where his children attended school; |
|
|
his big heart, big personality, and marvelous sense of humor |
|
|
brought him a host of friendships, and he always stayed especially |
|
|
close to his Houston schoolmates, including many he had known since |
|
|
kindergarten; during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was a steadfast |
|
|
source of support and consolation to those in his circle, talking |
|
|
for hours on the phone about their challenges; he never hesitated to |
|
|
express his love to those he held dear; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Manny LaFont possessed a generosity of spirit that |
|
|
revealed itself in myriad ways, and although his loss is difficult |
|
|
to bear, memories of joyous times spent in his company will forever |
|
|
illuminate the lives of those he left behind; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
|
|
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of |
|
|
Manuel Valdes "Manny" LaFont Jr. and extend sincere condolences to |
|
|
all who mourn his passing; 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 Manuel |
|
|
Valdes "Manny" LaFont. |