[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 13, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E903]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF MARJORIE L. POSEY PFAFF

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 2008

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today in recognition of 
the honorable, compassionate, and influential life of the late Marjorie 
L. Posey Pfaff of Missouri's Fifth Congressional District which I 
proudly represent. Marge leaves behind a legacy of a life dutifully 
fulfilled and a state proudly served. Throughout Marge's lifetime, her 
love of living, enthusiasm for her relationships with the many friends 
she held so dear, and unwavering devotion to not only her career in 
real-estate, but also to Missouri politics revealed Marge as an 
unequaled, exemplary leader in this great state.
  Born to Clyde O. and Crystal V. Alexander, Marge began what became an 
honorable, dignified life on October 10, 1926 in Chillicothe, Missouri. 
Married to the late Francis Leon (Toby) Pfaff on December 19, 1977, 
Marge began a family that would go with her from Chillicothe to 
Independence, Missouri, the hometown of President Harry S. Truman and 
Marge's hallowed resting place. Her son, Robert Posey and his wife Dana 
remain in Independence, continuing to share the gift of geniality which 
their mother so dearly possessed.
  Marge began her long career in real-estate in Chillicothe, where she 
owned the Gaslight-Pfaff Realty Company. From this small operation in 
Chillicothe, Marge would later work for ReMax and finally Reece and 
Nichols in Independence. Marge began her long career as nearly one in a 
million women who would later come to compose a much larger contingent 
of our real-estate industry. Marge let her light of experience and 
charm shine, earning the Missouri Association of Realtors salesperson 
of the year in 1997 and as the Kansas City Association of Realtors 
salesperson of the year in 1996. As a female pioneer in her craft, 
Marge tirelessly sought to make possible the success and equality of 
opportunity for women in not only the real-estate industry, but also in 
politics.
  Serving as a president of the Independence Young Matrons and the 
Independence Sanitarium and Hospital Auxiliary, Marge found a voice 
amongst equals who would come to herald her as a leader not only for 
her deep connectivity to influential individuals in her state, 
connections she earned through her sharp wit and unforgettable 
personality, but also because of her steadfast dedication to the 
success of her ideals. She forged ahead in all of the many political 
activities in which she was involved, never for personal gain, but for 
the greater potential of providing equal opportunity for all. Her 
service as the president of the Women's Council of Realtors and beloved 
participation in the Real Estate Political Action Committee afforded 
not only the great state of Missouri, but also our Nation an 
opportunity to share in the historical breakthrough of a unique and 
powerful woman to the apex of both respect and heroism in whose likes 
few before her have been held. As Federal political coordinator for the 
Fifth Congressional District, Marge proved only what I knew to expect 
from her since the first time she and I met, nothing but excellence and 
caring commitment.
  We rejoice in the life of Marge today not only because she, like so 
many, sought to share in the American dream of the equality of 
opportunity for all of our neighbors, but because she tirelessly 
endeavored to make it a reality. Overcoming the adversity that once lay 
before her, a woman whose very heart and soul worked to shake the male-
dominated establishment around her, Marge creates for not only all 
women, but all those held behind by the oppression of myopia, a bastion 
of hope and a model of success to guide them all to a promise of 
equality that we too often find neglected.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing our appreciation to my 
dearly departed friend, Marjorie L. Posey Pfaff, for her loving 
devotion and limitless dedication to serving the residents of Kansas 
City, the State of Missouri, and our Nation. Strong, sustainable 
societies are built upon a foundation of goodness and dedication. It is 
our hometown heroes, like Marge, the well revered and benevolent, who 
ensure the longevity of, and strengthen, our free and democratic way of 
life. May God continue to bless Marge as she lives on forever in our 
memories.

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