Mourning the Loss of Mrs. Freida B. Dority

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of a friend and a great American: Mrs. Freida B. Dority of Alabama. She passed away on June 28 at age 73. I came to know her over the years on the Faith and Politics Institute's Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimages to Alabama. Mrs. Freida served as Director of Culinary Experiences for the Faith and Politics Tour Luncheon, playing a leading role hosting Members of Congress and other distinguished guests as we came to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and pay tribute to the civil rights heroes who helped build a more perfect Union.

The bible tells us: Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms, 1 Peter 4:9-10. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Freida offered her hospitality cheerfully, eagerly, and enthusiastically. She had many gifts, including a lifelong aptitude for cooking. The hearty fare that came out of her kitchen nourished not only the body but the soul. She put together meals infused with joy, love, and comfort. It was impossible to partake without feeling kinship and community with those around you. The Members who attended the pilgrimages came from across the country and the political spectrum. Mrs. Freida helped bring them closer together, not only with her food but with her warm, generous spirit. So too did the rest of the team at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, including Benjamin and Annie Beasley and Reverend E.B. Morris.

Some of my most cherished memories are walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge arm-in-arm with my dear friend and brother, John Lewis, on numerous pilgrimages over the years. Those memories are incomplete, however, without recalling the stories, laughs, and prayers he and I shared at the dinners Mrs. Freida helped prepare.

Indeed, Mrs. Freida lived a life of service. As an Army & Air Force Exchange Services Manager at Maxwell Air Force Base for nearly two decades, she helped lift up countless servicemembers and military families. From singing in the First Baptist Church's Choir to overseeing its Meals on Wheels program, Mrs. Freida was also a leader in her church and her community.

No one was more familiar with Mrs. Freida's, beautiful soul than her family. She was a loving wife of 52 years to her husband, Chief Master Sergeant Jackie T.L. Dority. She lovingly raised her daughter, Alisha; adopted son, Eric; and numerous foster children over the years. She was a nurturing force in the lives of so many, including her siblings, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and many godsons and goddaughters. My prayers are with her family and with everyone whose life was blessed by her generosity.

Mr. Speaker, until her very last breath, Mrs. Freida B. Dority was, as the verse said: a faithful steward of God's grace. May her memory not only be a blessing but a calling for all of us to act as faithful stewards of that grace as well. I ask that all my colleagues join me in praying for her and giving thanks for her life of service.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source