[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 29 (Thursday, February 28, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S999-S1000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING JACK SIZEMORE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I rise today to reflect on the loss 
of Mr. Jack Sizemore, an exemplary citizen of Kentucky and a genuinely 
good man. Mr. Sizemore, of Laurel County, was laid to rest on February 
12, 2013, and is survived by his wife, 7 children, 20 grand-children, 
16 great-grandchildren, and two sisters.
  The words, ``let me tell you what Jack Sizemore did for me'' are 
commonly heard in Jack's beloved town of London, and represent just how 
sorely his presence will be missed. His legacy of goodwill is firmly 
established after years working in the Laurel County Detention Center, 
as he chose to build a reputation as a jailer who ``liked the job he 
was doing and [who] took care of the prisoners in a humane way and with 
the utmost courtesy.'' This testimony comes from his former supervisor 
Edd Parsley, who admits that ``you don't find many men like that.''
  Jack was known to always have people laughing, and the community he 
loved so much has looked back and seen all the ways he touched their 
lives. The health problems that plagued his final years cannot begin to 
take attention away from his legacy and reputation.
  At this time, I ask that my colleagues in this United States Senate 
join me in honoring Mr. Jack Sizemore. Along with our condolences to 
his friends and family, we simultaneously offer our gratitude and 
praise of this truly wonderful man.

[[Page S1000]]

  I also ask unanimous consent that an article on the life and service 
of Mr. Jack Sizemore that appeared in the Laurel County-area 
publication the Sentinel Echo be included in the Record.
  There being no objection, the following article was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

              [From the Sentinel Echo, February 15, 2013]

                 Former Jailer Remembered as `Good Man'

                           (By Nita Johnson)

       Laurel County, Kentucky.--A former Laurel County jailer, 
     chief administrator of the jail, and deputy sheriff was laid 
     to rest on Tuesday after ongoing health problems.
       Jack Sizemore, 76, died Saturday at his home from 
     frontotemporal dementia, which left him unable to communicate 
     with others. Sizemore left a legacy of goodwill for his 
     family, friends and co-workers.
       Edd Parsley worked with Sizemore after Parsley was 
     appointed as jailer in 1997. Sizemore stayed on as chief 
     administrator of the Laurel County Detention Center when 
     Parsley was elected to a four-year term as jailer.
       ``Jack worked for me for six years as chief administrator 
     of the jail, and he was one of those people that if you told 
     him to do something, you could very well rest assured that he 
     would carry it out,'' Parsley said. ``He liked the job he was 
     doing and he took care of the prisoners in a humane way and 
     with the utmost courtesy. You don't find many men like 
     that.''
       Describing Sizemore as ``a good man,'' Parsley reviewed 
     Sizemore's background that made him invaluable at the jail.
       ``He was experienced in law enforcement. He was a deputy 
     under several sheriffs,'' Parsley said. ``He realized what 
     had to be done and did it. He served this county well as a 
     jailer, chief administrator and deputy.''
       Barb Rudder, who has worked in the booking department of 
     the jail for nearly 20 years, said Sizemore was ``a good 
     person to work with.''
       ``He always used to have people laughing and he would tell 
     everyone that I was his babysitter.''
       After Sizemore retired, Rudder said she visited him during 
     his illness the past two years.
       ``It's a sad loss for the community and for his family,'' 
     she said.
       That loss is indeed sad for Madgel Miller, who was one of 
     Sizemore's stepchildren.
       ``Jack was my stepdad, but we didn't use `step' in our 
     family,'' Miller said. ``He had seven kids, 20 grandchildren, 
     16 great-grandchildren, some of whom were step. But step was 
     never considered in the family.''
       Sizemore faced several health issues during the latter part 
     of his life, Miller said, including a quadruple bypass in 
     2008.
       ``But he came through that very well and since he did, we 
     were expecting him to have a long retirement.''
       But other health problems came with the frontotemporal 
     dementia, which affects one's communication skills.
       ``It is a rare form of dementia, but he and my mother never 
     had a problem communicating,'' she said. ``He loved my mother 
     unconditionally, and they had their own form of 
     communicating.''
       But the past several months had taken its toll on the 
     former jailer, and Miller said by Christmas, Sizemore was 
     very ill.
       ``He had a rapid decline from it [dementia]. Last week, he 
     had a real hard time of it, and my mother made a doctor's 
     appointment for him,'' Miller added. ``He was in the hospital 
     Wednesday because the doctor said he was weak and dehydrated. 
     But he was able to walk in the hospital. He went home Friday 
     and had a good night with family, and some friends came over. 
     He couldn't communicate with us. He died in his sleep that 
     night, with Mom and me beside him.''
       Choking back tears, Miller described Sizemore as a man with 
     ``a good heart'' who was also ``very intelligent.''
       Miller said many people had come to tell the family how 
     Sizemore had touched their lives.
       ``It was good to hear people say, `Let me tell you what 
     Jack Sizemore did for me,' and it was stories that he never 
     told. Jack was always telling stories, but these were about 
     what he did for people,'' Miller said. ``I remember when I 
     was going to college, he would tell me, `This is a good place 
     to raise kids. This is a good place to live.' He loved this 
     town.''
       Hearing the impact that her father had had on the people he 
     dealt with during his lifetime, Miller said her opinion of 
     Sizemore's goodwill towards others was reinforced.
       ``He was a very private person and didn't tell people about 
     the dementia,'' she said. ``He knew how to handle people and 
     how to keep his own life private and personal. We made the 
     arrangements quickly because he would rather be remembered in 
     better times. Knowing Jack Sizemore, he would have had it no 
     other way.''

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