[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 35 (Tuesday, March 12, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              GOODBYE, LEO

  (Mr. RYAN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. I rise this evening just to honor and pay tribute 
to a dear, dear friend of mine and of the community in my congressional 
district, Leo Keating. He was the grandfather of my legislative 
director, Ryan Keating, and of his brother, who is a dear friend of 
mine, Brendan Keating.
  Leo was one of these great World War II veterans who knew how to live 
life. He was a pilot. He was a lawyer. He loved baseball--and he was 
funny. He was a tremendous guy who helped me at a very, very young age 
get into politics. Today, as we went through his funeral mass, his son 
Dan, who practiced law with him, talked about these three Bronze Stars 
that he earned in the war. Typical of that generation, nobody really 
knew about it because he didn't talk about it.
  So I wanted to rise and honor that and honor him because I think, as 
we deal with a lot of the craziness that's going on here in Washington, 
D.C., it was a nice example today to see this man who was a hero to his 
country getting the military burial and what-not and to think he never 
even talked about it and how beautiful that was. He was just a great 
guy who knew how to live life. We will miss Leo Keating, and I know his 
family and his friends will miss him dearly, but he gave us one last 
gift going out: his family wanted him to have dialysis, and he said no.
  Come on, Dad. Try it just one time. See if you like it. See if it 
helps.
  No. I'm ready.
  And he was ready. And he gave us one last example on how to live with 
grace and dignity.
  So, goodbye, Leo.

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