[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 7 (Tuesday, February 5, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   MINNESOTA MOURNS THE DEATH OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE DARLENE LUTHER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ramstad) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, the people of Minnesota are in mourning 
because we have had a death in the family. Minnesota State 
Representative Darlene Luther, wife of our good friend and colleague 
Bill Luther, passed away last week after a courageous battle with 
cancer.
  Today in St. Paul, Minnesota, Darlene's family and hundreds of her 
friends and constituents attended her funeral mass at the Cathedral of 
St. Paul. From Governor and Mrs. Ventura, to members of Minnesota's 
congressional delegation, the Minnesota legislature, and supreme court; 
from Darlene's constituents in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, to Darlene and 
Bill's legions of friends across Minnesota, we said farewell to a 
loving and committed wife, a caring and loyal friend, and a 
compassionate and dedicated public servant.
  Just as we mourned a great loss, we also celebrated a life of love 
and a life of service, a life of passionate advocacy and genuine 
empathy for people, especially people in need. Mr. Speaker, Darlene 
Luther was truly a loving daughter and sister to the Dunphy family; a 
loving wife and mother to Bill, Alicia and Alex; and friend to us all. 
She will be sorely missed by all of us who knew and loved her, by all 
of us whose lives she touched.
  Most of all, Darlene loved her husband, Bill, and their children, 
Alicia and Alex, as deeply and as dearly as any wife and mother ever 
could. She was so proud of them, as she told me countless times. I will 
never forget how proud she was of Bill when he was sworn in as a new 
Member of Congress. Darlene ran over to me and proclaimed, ``Not bad 
for a kid from Fergus Falls, huh, Jim?'' I know Darlene also made Bill 
very proud, and their love for each other will continue to inspire us 
all.
  I will never forget Darlene's pride when Alicia was accepted by 
Boston College. ``I am so proud of Alicia,'' she told me, ``and she did 
it despite a letter of recommendation from a Republican Member of 
Congress.'' Darlene was so proud of the wonderful young woman Alicia 
has become and so grateful for the loving daughter she has always been.
  Mr. Speaker, I will never forget how proud Darlene was at Alex's very 
first Special Olympics, as we were there to cheer him on. And I will 
never forget Darlene's pride and her tears of joy when Alex moved into 
his new apartment. Alex Luther showed all of us what the dignity of 
independent living is all about.
  Mr. Speaker, the loss of Representative Darlene Luther is a great 
loss for Minnesota. We have lost our leader for people who need life-
saving organ donations. We have lost a tireless advocate for early 
childhood education and kids with special needs. We have lost a true 
champion for health care and people with disabilities. We have lost a 
legislator with a big heart who made a big difference in the lives of 
so many Minnesotans.
  Darlene Luther represented the best in public service because she 
always put people first. As her friends and constituents know, Darlene 
never took herself too seriously, but she took her job very seriously. 
And Darlene loved her job, just as she loved her colleagues and the 
staff of the Minnesota legislature, just as she loved Bill's colleagues 
and staff, just as she loved her constituents in Brooklyn Park.
  As we celebrate Darlene's life of love and service, let us honor her 
legacy by keeping her passions alive. And may the tender strength of 
her love and her kind and gentle spirit live forever in the hearts of 
each of us.

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