[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 20 (Thursday, February 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN MEMORY OF JACK AND RUTH CORDES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 4, 1999

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mr. 
Jack Cordes, 75 and his wife Mrs. Ruth Cordes, 72 of Cleveland. After 
53 years of marriage the couple died a day apart.
  Mr. and Mrs. Cordes grew up together and were inseparable. Jack 
Cordes served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following the war 
both Jack and Ruth Cordes worked, Jack as a plumber and Ruth as a 
counter clerk for a bakery. Together, the couple lived through both joy 
and sorrow.
  Jack Cordes battled several types of cancer before falling ill with 
lung cancer on November 18th. During this struggle Ruth never left his 
side, providing comfort and support. She stayed with him even though 
she was in great pain. She suffered a heart attack from watching as her 
beloved husband grew ill. Ruth suffered a second heart attack on Sunday 
the 22nd and died later that afternoon. Jack died just a day later.
  Their lives were so interconnected; their true love was so 
interdependent; their commitment to each other was so evident. By 
living their lives as a true partnership, Jack and Ruth's passing 
reflects the true meaning of ``till death do us part.''
  Ladies and gentlemen, the Cordes' lives and deaths are testaments to 
the strength of love. Please join me in remembering this extraordinary 
couple.

                          ____________________