Mourning the Loss of Joan Dezember

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. FONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable life and legacy of Joan Dezember, a beloved figure in our community who passed away on October 13, 2024, at the age of 89. Alongside her late husband, Ray, Joan dedicated her life to family, community, and philanthropy.

Joan was born in Whittier, California on February 19, 1935, to Martin and Jeannette Erreca. While attending Whittier College, she met her husband Ray Dezember in 1951, a Whittier College football star. An early sign of the couple's complementary qualities, Ray led the football team as captain while Joan rallied the crowd as the head of Whittier College's cheerleaders. Rising to a new and exciting chapter in their lives, the couple married in 1954, and briefly lived in Phoenix before settling in Bakersfield, where Ray helped found American National Bank. American National Bank was acquired by Wells Fargo and the Dezembers were able to focus on their passion for giving, especially to California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB).

The generous support to the community from Joan and Ray enabled the creation of important programs and facilities, including the Walter W. Stiern Library's Dezember Reading Room and the Dezember Leadership Development Center, which continue to inspire students seeking to follow Joan and Ray's path to achieve the American Dream. While such facilities will continue to uphold their names, it is the lives of fellow neighbors who were blessed to know Joan and Ray's virtuous and loving touch, felt by so many in their family and in the Kern County community. The Dezembers certainly believed in the transformative power of education, as their support for scholarships like the Wendy Wayne Nursing Scholarship and the Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Fund has opened doors for countless students. As a lifetime member and the first Chairwoman of the CSUB Foundation Board of Directors, Joan's ability to help others reached far and wide, earning her the CSUB President's Medal in 1999.

Joan is survived by her four children, Becky, Brent, Cheri, and Katie, eleven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren who will remember her as their kind, loving matriarch who found great joy in the success of others. Amanda and I send our deep condolences to the whole Dezember family and all who knew and loved her. On behalf of the 20th Congressional District, I am grateful to Joan, for what she has done for our community. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source