[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 15 (Friday, February 1, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E80]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO MARY SILVEIRA SANCHEZ LOUMENA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 1, 2013

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor the 
life of a beloved leader in the Escalon community, Mary Silveira 
Sanchez Loumena.
  Mary was born in Yountville, California, on June 23, 1920, and passed 
away surrounded by her family on October 12, 2012, in Escalon, 
California. Her passing has brought great sorrow and loss to people 
throughout the community.
  Mrs. Sanchez Loumena was an active member of the Young Ladies 
Institute, Kiwanis, the Ladies of Escalon, and Grandmother's Club. In 
addition, she was the Chairperson of the 125th anniversary celebration 
for St. Patrick's Church, and she initiated the children's monthly 
prayer group.
  Mary was a founding charter member of the Escalon Historical Society 
and Museum. Her instrumental role in its formation will always be her 
legacy. She also played a fundamental role in locating, purchasing, and 
bringing the caboose to Escalon's Main Street Park to commemorate the 
town's railroad beginning and history.
  She and her husband, Charles, sold part of Sanchez Ranch to the State 
of California for the location of El Portal Middle School. They also 
developed Vintage Estates--a project where they sold remaining portions 
of their ranch for custom homes.
  During the threat of cutbacks in the 1990s, Mrs. Sanchez Loumena 
donated money to the City of Escalon to keep streetlights lit in 
residential neighborhoods. Escalon believes that future generations can 
learn much from the past, and Mrs. Sanchez Loumena played a key role in 
preserving much of Escalon's history.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring and recognizing Mrs. Mary 
Silveira Sanchez Loumena for her unwavering leadership and many 
accomplishments and contributions. Her life serves as an example of 
excellence to those in our community, and her legacy will not be soon 
forgotten.

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