[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 055 (Monday, April 7, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S4887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   EULOGY FOR MRS. MARY JANE OGILVIE

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, on Tuesday, April 1, Mary Jane Ogilvie, the 
beloved wife of the Rev. Dr. John Lloyd Ogilvie, passed away. A light 
has gone out in the lives of the many people who were touched by her 
love, her dedication, and her compassion.
  Rev. Dr. John Lloyd Ogilvie, who served as the Senate Chaplain from 
March 3, 1995, until just this past month, was an unfailing source of 
support on many occasions to many of us in this Chamber, as well as to 
our families and our staff. He has been a compassionate spiritual 
advisor and a personal counselor during some of the most dangerous and 
trying times in the history of the Senate, including the horror of 
September 11 and the anthrax attack a few weeks later. I think it is 
fair to say that his unstinting service was heightened by, and a 
reflection of, the equal strength and understanding of Mrs. Ogilvie in 
their many years together.
  From what I know and understand, Mrs. Ogilvie was a kind, gentle 
woman, who exhibited indomitable courage and determination. Having 
dealt with illness in her own life, she was a source of inspiration and 
comfort in the lives of others. She was a petite woman, but her size 
belied a remarkable tenacity and will. Mrs. Ogilvie understood 
suffering, and she reached out to lessen the suffering of others. She 
was one of those special individuals who made life better and happier 
for all those who knew her.
  Mrs. Ogilvie did not seek the limelight. Her own effervescence and 
love for her husband and family and friends offered light enough. I am 
sure that those who grieve for her now will be comforted by the quiet 
memory of her shining, luminous life.
  Dr. Ogilvie will miss her. He will miss her very much. My own wife, 
Erma, and I extend to Dr. Ogilvie and his children--Scott, Heather, and 
Andrew--our deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathies.

     Sometimes at eve when the tide is low,
     I shall slip my mooring and sail away,
     With no response to the friendly hail
     Of kindred craft in the busy bay;
     In the silent hush of the twilight pale,
     When the night stoops down to embrace the day
     And the voices call o'er the waters flow--
     Sometimes at evening when the tide is low
     I shall slip my moorings and sail away.

     Through the purple shadows that darkly trail
     O'er the ebbing tide of the Unknown Sea,
     I shall fare me away, with a dip of sail
     And a ripple of waters to tell the tale
     Of a lonely voyager sailing away
     To Mystic Isles where at anchor lay
     The crafts of those who have sailed before
     O'er the Unknown Sea to the Unknown Shore.

     A few who have watched me sail away
     Will miss my craft from the busy bay;
     Some friendly barks that were anchored near,
     Some loving hearts that may heart held dear,
     In silent sorrow will drop a tear.
     But I shall have peacefully furled my sail
     In moorings sheltered from storm or gale,
     And greeted the friends who have sailed before
     O'er the Unknown Sea to the Unseen Shore.

  This bit of verse from Lizzie Clark Hardy I recall today in memory of 
Mrs. Ogilvie, and our dear friend the former Chaplain, Dr. Ogilvie.
  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I also rise to express Lilibet's and my 
sympathy over the loss of a close friend, Mary Jane Ogilvie. As the 
wife of Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, our Senate Chaplain, Mary Jane was a friend 
to many and always offered an attentive ear and an open heart to all of 
us in the Senate family. Her high spirit and quiet strength endeared 
her to all who knew her.
  Mary Jane was a remarkable woman. Having battled cancer, she 
counseled others living with cancer. She devoted countless hours to 
raising awareness and funding for cancer research. She raised a 
magnificent family . . . which is her legacy. Lilibet and I cherished 
our friendship with Mary Jane. We will miss her, but we will be renewed 
and enhanced by the time we had with Mary Jane. Our thoughts and 
prayers are with Lloyd and the Ogilvie family.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I say to my colleague from West Virginia 
that no one in the Senate is better able to express the interests not 
only of the Senator from West Virginia but for the Senate as a whole on 
matters of the type he talked about. Senator Byrd spoke of Reverend 
Ogilvie and his wife and what they both contributed to life in the 
Senate. I echo his comments and say that we miss Reverend Ogilvie and 
his wife, and we grieve for her passing. I thank Senator Byrd for 
calling the attention of the Senate to it today.

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