Bill Text: TX HR2661 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Betty Yezak of Bremond.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-05-31 - Reported enrolled [HR2661 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HR2661-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 2661 |
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WHEREAS, Residents of Bremond were deeply saddened by the | ||
death of civic leader and Bremond Press publisher Betty Yezak on | ||
July 24, 2016, at the age of 90; and | ||
WHEREAS, Born near Wheelock on December 20, 1925, the former | ||
Elizabeth Adele Supak was the youngest of the six children of | ||
sharecroppers Thomas and Louise Supak; her grandparents were Czech | ||
immigrants, and she spoke English as her second language when she | ||
started school; after graduating from Franklin High School, she | ||
became the first member of her family to attend college, with | ||
financial help from her older sister; she worked as a grill cook at | ||
the student union while completing her bachelor's degree in English | ||
at Texas State College for Women, and during World War II, she held | ||
a summer job as a forklift operator at a bomb factory in McGregor; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, She began teaching high school English in | ||
Pleasanton, and her brother introduced her to his boss, then-State | ||
Representative Herman Yezak; the couple married at St. Mary's | ||
Catholic Church in Bremond on October 5, 1949, and they were blessed | ||
with two daughters, Patricia "Pisha" and Jennifer, and two sons, | ||
Robert and George; while her children were young, Mrs. Yezak | ||
supported them in many extracurricular activities; she became an | ||
ardent fan of the Bremond Tigers, and in 61 years she attended every | ||
regular season football game and missed only four playoff games; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, At the end of the 1950s, the Yezaks purchased the | ||
weekly Bremond Press, and following her husband's death in 1986, | ||
Mrs. Yezak continued to lead it, with increasing help from her son, | ||
George; she wrote a column, "The B.Y. Line," in every edition for 29 | ||
years, sharing her observations and, in keeping with her iron | ||
commitment to the First Amendment, sometimes rankling certain | ||
readers with her strongly held opinions; she also worked from 1957 | ||
to 1971 as a Star Route mail carrier and loved getting to know and | ||
assist all manner of people along Route 3; subsequently, she served | ||
for eight years as a Child Protective Services worker in Franklin, | ||
and following the death of her husband, she completed his term as | ||
justice of the peace for Robertson County Precinct 4; in addition, | ||
she raised cattle with her son George; and | ||
WHEREAS, A devout Catholic, Mrs. Yezak was a CYO sponsor, CCD | ||
teacher, bazaar volunteer, and lector at St. Mary's; she served the | ||
wider community as a member of the Bremond Chamber of Commerce and | ||
of the committee that launched the Polish Day festival in 1988; | ||
moreover, she was the Democratic Party precinct chair and an | ||
election worker for many years; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mrs. Yezak took great pride in her seven | ||
grandchildren, Eliot, Job, Kie, Menzie, Jackson, Todd, and Yancie, | ||
and her great-granddaughter, Georgia; she enjoyed watching Texas | ||
A&M and Dallas Cowboys football games, going out to eat, playing 42 | ||
dominos, doing crosswords, and following current events with MSNBC, | ||
CNN, the Waco Tribune-Herald, The Eagle, and the Dallas Morning | ||
News; moreover, she liked to mow the yard, check on the cows, and | ||
take care of her four cats, Scrap, Smug, T-Face, and Yellowneck, as | ||
well as her "part-time yard dog," Clyde, whose owner, Tinka Hopcus, | ||
was a dear neighbor; and | ||
WHEREAS, Betty Yezak made a positive difference in her | ||
beloved community, and although she is sadly missed by her family, | ||
her friends, and her loyal readers, those who were privileged to | ||
know her will forever remember her warmth, enthusiasm, and profound | ||
sense of community; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Betty Yezak and extend | ||
sincere condolences to all who mourn her passing; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of | ||
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Betty | ||
Yezak. | ||
Kacal | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 2661 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
rising vote of the House on May 29, 2017. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||