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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Family and friends are mourning the loss of Linda |
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Lelia Susan Moroney of Houston, an esteemed attorney and champion |
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of social justice, who passed away on April 19, 2021, at the age of |
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77; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Washington, D.C., on May 27, 1943, "Muffie" |
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Moroney was the daughter of Jessie Robinson Moroney and Robert |
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Moroney; she grew up in Houston, but her character was also shaped |
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by frequent visits to her mother's family in then-rural Fort Bend |
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County; a proud graduate of St. John's School in Houston and |
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Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia, she worked for the |
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National Security Agency before returning to Texas; she married |
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Clarence Renshaw II, and they became the parents of two treasured |
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sons, Robert and Justin; following a divorce, she enrolled in the |
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University of Houston Law Center and received her degree in 1982; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, After completing a clerkship with the 14th Court of |
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Appeals, Ms. Moroney worked for Vinson & Elkins and several other |
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Houston law firms; she went on to open a solo litigation practice |
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and later joined forces with her son, Justin, in the Renshaw firm; |
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benefiting the legal community, she served on the alumni board of |
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the University of Houston Law Center; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Moroney's knowledge of the law spurred her to |
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enter the political sphere in the fight for equity and social |
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progress; a cofounder of the River Oaks Area Democratic Women, she |
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served on its executive committee, and together with Sherrie Matula |
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and Diane Mosier, she launched an offshoot, the Sisters United |
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Alliance, to encourage more Texas women to vote; her wide circle of |
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friends included state and local civic leaders, many of whom she |
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also mentored; while energetically organizing and fundraising for |
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worthy causes, she further served on the board of Planned |
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Parenthood Gulf Coast and the alumni boards of St. John's School |
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and Randolph-Macon Woman's College; and |
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WHEREAS, Sustained by a strong faith, Ms. Moroney was an |
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active member of Christ Church Cathedral and served on the board of |
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the Episcopal Church Publishing Company; as a lay leader in the |
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Episcopal Diocese of Texas, she advocated for the power of the laity |
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and strove to advance inclusivity in the denomination and society |
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as a whole; her advocacy was always as gracious and respectful as it |
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was resolute, and in later years, she engaged increasingly in |
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interfaith dialogue, participating in women's groups and gaining |
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new friends from diverse backgrounds; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Moroney was devoted to her family, which grew to |
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include two daughters-in-law, Alisha and Lynne, as well as four |
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grandchildren, Carrie, Beverly, Emerson, and Catherine; she looked |
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after not only her dog, Sweet, but also a coterie of feral cats; and |
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WHEREAS, Guided by deep compassion and an unyielding sense of |
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justice, Muffie Moroney made a positive difference in the world |
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around her, and she is deeply missed by all who were privileged to |
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share in her love and friendship; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Linda Lelia Susan |
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Moroney and extend sincere condolences to all who mourn her |
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passing; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Muffie |
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Moroney. |