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