[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 52 (Wednesday, May 4, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      TRIBUTE TO JOYCE LYNN WILSON

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT K. DORNAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 4, 1994

  Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to pay 
tribute to Joyce Lynn Wilson. To the shock and disbelief of her family, 
friends, and loved ones, on January 17, 1994, Joyce fell victim to the 
tragic earthquake that rocked through southern California and ripped 
apart the lives of so many innocent people.
  My wife Sallie, and I, had known Joyce for years. She stood by our 
side and the side of her fellow Republicans and helped us fight the 
evils that threatened our families, our livelihood, and our country. 
She was not only a wonderful woman, she was a loving wife and mother, a 
devout Catholic, and a true patriot. Those of us who were fortunate 
enough to know Joyce continue to be profoundly saddened by her loss.
  In memory of Joyce, I would like to insert the text of the eulogy 
that was given on the day of her funeral. May she rest in eternal peace 
in the arms of our Almighty Father.


 Ode to Joy, A Eulogy for Joyce Lynn Wilson, June 15, 1941-January 17, 
                                  1994

       On the morning of January 17, the earth trembled, and Joyce 
     Lynn Wilson died. I'd like to say that another way. On the 
     morning of January 17, Joyce Lynn Wilson died, and the earth 
     trembled. Her heart trembled, and gave its last beat as she 
     summoned her children to safety. Hers was a big heart--warm, 
     generous, and full of Joy. Her life, like all of ours, was 
     filled with many sorrows, trials and tragedies, but her 
     attitude was like her name--joy.
       She always called Gayle her baby sister, and me her baby 
     brother-in-law. So now I would like to talk about my big 
     sister-in-law.
       Joy was a writer, a devout and staunch Catholic, a pro-
     lifer and a patriot, not to mention a wife, mother, aunt, 
     grandmother, beautician, teacher, taxi service, political 
     activist, confidant, and friend.
       As a wife and mother, she brought seven lovely children 
     into this world: Shelley, Kathleen, Monica, Eddie, Mike, 
     Elizabeth, and Eileen. She sewed, shopped, cooked, mended, 
     and even found time to make those lovely holiday crafts which 
     so many of us have in our homes. She worked tirelessly for 
     her kids schooling. How many hours did she spend on her knees 
     scrubbing the bathroom floors at Padre Pio Academy? She was 
     devoted to the end.
       With seven children, could anyone doubt that Joy was a 
     Catholic all the way? She was always devout, but in the last 
     few years, her devotion became intense; daily Mass and 
     Communion, many acts of charity and generosity, and always an 
     attitude of humility and self accusation.
       Not only was she devout. She was staunch, in the best sense 
     of the word. In the most active sense of the word. She was a 
     pillar of pro-life activities here in Orange County. You 
     could see her picketing abortion clinics with her kids in a 
     stroller. There was the time her picketing friends came by 
     her house with signs of their own and shouting slogans: ``We 
     are, pro-Joyce! We are, pro-Joyce.''
       She campaigned for the good guys. In the words of her 
     friend, ``She was the glue that held everything together, 
     even when things got sticky.''
       And if a modernist theologian dared to set foot in Orange 
     County to peddle his heterodox theology, she was there. How 
     many of you remember the visit of Father Raymond Brown? Joyce 
     was there. It was his last visit to Orange County.
       She had this idea for a prayer letter--a forty hours 
     devotion where people from all over could storm Heaven with 
     their prayers and petitions for each other. How many of us 
     have received favors from this wonderful devotion?
       She wrote articles for the Diocesan Bulletin. She wrote 
     about Satanism and its effect on our kids; about gangs, and 
     about chastity. How many Catholics could say this much?
       She was not only a Catholic, she was a patriot. Most of us 
     would say a super-patriot. In 1976, she got involved with the 
     schools to make people understand what the Bicentennial of 
     1776 was really about, and to put God back into our country 
     and our schools.
       She fought liberals and Communism with her mightiest 
     weapons: her pen and her phone. Using the pen-name of Margo 
     Bellencourt, she took on the Liberals in the L.A. Times. When 
     no one else even realized he was a threat, she took on Lyndon 
     LaRouche. She saw through him, she fought him, and now he is 
     in jail.
       With her ready pen, she took on Jimmy Carter. Who can 
     forget her ``Fireside Chat'' parodies where, in response to 
     his foreign aid debacles, she, Joyce Wilson, announced that 
     she was going to cordon off her property, declare it a 
     sovereign nation, and apply for foreign aid; and if she 
     didn't get it, secede from the Union and declare war on the 
     United States.
       Who could forget her ``Campaign for Creative Bureaucracy.'' 
     And when Bill and Hillary Clinton came into power, who could 
     forget her Limmericks. Like this one on Inauguration Day:

     The Inaugural bash told the tale
     `Twas a day that made satirists pale
     And the Do-Dah Parade
     All the wierdos had made
     Shows our leader, indeed, does inhale.

       Or, when Clinton declared war on the Military by allowing 
     in Gays, her stories of Private Percy Periwinkle. She kept 
     all of us in stitches. She knew more about the U.S. and the 
     Russian military than I do, and I work in Defense.
       As a final tribute to her patriotism, Congressman Bob 
     Dornan has informed us that he is arranging for a United 
     States flag to be flown over the U.S. Capitol in her honor.
       You're a real patriot, Joy. I think this little poem 
     composed by your baby sister says it all:

     Loyal and true
     Loved the Red, White and Blue
     God and Country through and through
     Joyce, there will never be another you.

       On January 17, the earth shook, our hearts trembled, our 
     lives were shaken. The loss was profound. But more than 
     buildings or dishes, more than freeways or bridges, on that 
     day, we lost our Joy.
       But our loss is Heaven's gain. Up there, she can do what 
     she did so well down here even better--fighting for the good.
       And so to her husband, Ed, to her children--our 
     Godchildren--I say to you, ``Weep, but have Joy in your 
     hearts. She goeth to prepare a place for you.''
       Given January 19, 1994, St. Mary's by the Sea Catholic 
     Church.

                          ____________________