HR494 - In memory of Del Rio civil servants Joe Harrington and Bill Rattay.

      H.R. No. 494       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Residents of Del Rio lost two longtime civil   servants with the passing of George Joe Harrington on   December 16, 2024, and William Rattay Jr. on December 17, 2024; and          WHEREAS, Joe Harrington was born in Del Rio on   December 15, 1955, and he began his tenure with the city in 1974   when he joined the Del Rio Volunteer Fire Department; he was hired   on as a full-time employee of the Del Rio Fire Department in 1977,   and he earned his firefighter basic certification the following   year; named the DRFD Paid Firefighter of the Year in 1984, 1991, and   1996, he was awarded the department's medal of honor for his actions   during a citywide flood in 1998; he was promoted to assistant chief   in 2006, and he served in the positions of operations chief,   training chief, and assistant to the emergency management   coordinator; and          WHEREAS, In 2013, Mr. Harrington was appointed deputy chief,   and he became task force leader over agricultural rescue,   automobile extrication, and trench rescue for the Annual Municipal   Texas Fire Training School; he took over the department as fire   chief in 2017 and served in that role until his retirement in 2021,   which drew to a close a career that spanned nearly four and a half   decades; he is survived by his life partner of 25 years, Marta   Rodriguez; and          WHEREAS, Bill Rattay was born on June 21, 1959, in Lancaster,   Ohio, and he began his law enforcement career with the Del Rio   Police Department in 1982; he was promoted to sergeant in 1996 and   reassigned to detective sergeant in 1999; he achieved the rank of   lieutenant and then captain in 2007, and he served in all of the   department's major divisions; after retiring from the DRPD in 2013,   he worked for the Val Verde County Sheriff's Office for a year and a   half; and          WHEREAS, In 2015, Mr. Rattay was reappointed DRPD lieutenant,   and he was promoted to captain of the criminal investigations   division the following year; he retired from the department a   second time in 2021, after nearly four decades of dedicated   service; at the time of his death, he was working as an investigator   for the Val Verde County Attorney's Office; he is survived by his   wife of 30 years, Tamara Harper Rattay, and his sons, William and   Steven Rattay; and          WHEREAS, Joe Harrington and Bill Rattay exemplified the   highest ideals of public service, and they leave behind a legacy   that will continue to inspire all those who knew and loved them;   now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of George Joe   Harrington and William Rattay Jr. and extend heartfelt sympathy to   all who mourn their passing; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared   for their families and that when the Texas House of Representatives   adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Joe Harrington and Bill   Rattay.     Morales of Maverick     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 494 was unanimously adopted by a   rising vote of the House on May 23, 2025.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House