In Memoriam--Faithful and Dedicated Congressional Service of Eric ``rick'' Zabel Remembered

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Eric ``Rick'' Zabel, who worked for the U.S. House of Representatives' Chief Administrative Officer's Office of Payroll and Benefits, and passed away Saturday, February 5, 2022, after more than 43 years of Congressional service. Rick served as a Retirement Counselor, supporting staff in the offices of House Leadership, Officers, and Committees over his 13 years of service to the People's House. Before joining the House, Rick also worked for the U.S. Senate for over three decades as a Retirement Counselor for Senate Disbursing, providing faithful service to all Congressional staff throughout his tenure. Rick was a consummate professional and took great pride in providing detailed information, benefit options, retirement estimates, and advice to ensure Congressional staff could make well-informed retirement decisions and maximize their benefits.

The CAO was lucky to be blessed with the knowledge and expertise of Rick's more than 43 years of Legislative Branch retirement experience. The House truly benefitted from his expertise, with staff of the Office of Payroll and Benefits learning under Rick's tutelage to progress in their careers as Benefits Specialists. Rick equipped staff from the Office of Payroll and Benefits with his knowledge, professional pride in ensuring staff understood their retirement benefits, and ability to assist Congressional staff in maximizing their benefits.

Rick was an early-bird and always ready with a cheerful morning greeting of ``Hey, how you doin'?!'' Those who knew Rick will miss his passion for retirement as well as chatting with him about his wife, Rosemary, and his sons, Christopher, Matthew, and John Paul, his Maine Coon cat, T.C., his love of golfing, his green thumb gardening skills, his time at Virginia Tech, and his excitement about baseball--in particular, the New York Yankees. Rick coached his son's little league baseball teams and loved every moment of imparting his love and knowledge of the game with a new generation, specifically his boys. One of Rick's most exciting professional baseball memories was attending the New York Yankees World Series games in New York and being a part of the pinnacle of the sport, cheering on his favorite team. Rick also had a favorite National League team, the Washington Nationals, and was able to attend a World Series game for the 2019 season in which they won the World Series 4-3.

Dealing with the loss of a colleague and friend is always very difficult. The Legislative Branch lost a dear colleague and friend in Eric ``Rick'' Zabel, who will be sorely missed. However, his legacy will continue in the Congressional staff he counseled about their retirement and the colleagues he trained over the years.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source