[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 54 (Monday, April 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF HOBART CLAY MARCHANT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 16, 2012

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, it is with both pride and sadness that I 
ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life of my father, 
Hobart Clay Marchant, who passed away on March 22nd at the age of 91. 
He leaves behind a great legacy seen in my mother, a woman he married 
62 years ago, and in his family of five children, fifteen 
grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.
  My father's life was dedicated to the service of those around him. 
This was seen at a young age when, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he 
answered the call of duty and enlisted as a field radio operator for 
the U.S. Army. For three years, my father served in World War II on the 
hilltops of the Pacific Islands intercepting vital messages to protect 
his country and further the cause of freedom. His time overseas also 
included ground combat at Iwo Jima. It was just one year ago that my 
dad was reflecting on his time of service and told me how privileged 
and proud he was to live in the land of the free.
  After returning home, my father married my mother, Frances Helen 
Jones, on August 18, 1950, in Grand Prairie, Texas. As the family grew, 
my parents moved us to the Carrollton-Farmers Branch area. There my 
father founded a barbershop he ran for 46 years. It was in that 
storefront where he taught me and my siblings the values of hard work 
and family as we polished shoes and greeted customers. My father went 
on to found a roofing and building development business he ran in 
partnership with my brothers and me until his retirement. That 
business, H.C. Marchant Custom Homes, still remains in our family 
today.
  A devout Christian, my father was a charter member of the Carrollton 
Church of the Nazarene and an active member throughout his life. There 
he began decades of service caring for the community and his family. 
Psalm 112 says the righteous man is one who deals generously, who is 
marked with grace and mercy, and whose heart is firm in the Lord. This 
describes the life my father lived, and I rest fondly on the promise 
found in this same Psalm that the righteous man will be remembered 
forever.
  Hobart Marchant was my lifelong hero and an inspiration for all his 
children. His service to his country is representative of his entire 
generation and the work ethic and patriotism they passed on to their 
children. My father always believed in America and her future, and was 
influential in my decision to enter public service. After every flight 
home from votes in Washington, he was always my first visit. I would 
not be the man I am today, nor had the success and grace of God 
throughout my life, had he not been a guiding force in my childhood, 
youth, and adulthood.
  Mr. Speaker, my father was a great man in the community in which he 
lived and worked. His work ethic, values, and integrity have set an 
example for his entire family and those who knew him. I ask all my 
distinguished colleagues to join me in celebrating his life and 
honoring the many people whose lives are better for having known him.

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