[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 133 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   IN HONOR OF GEORGE T. PAPPAS, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2013

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a great man and 
close friend, Mr. George Theodore Pappas, Sr. Mr. Pappas passed away on 
September 21, 2013. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, September 
24, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at Bonaire First Baptist Church. He was interred 
in the historic Andersonville National Cemetery.
  Mr. Pappas was born on January 25, 1936 in Washington, D.C. to the 
late Theodore and Constance Pappas. During the Vietnam War, Mr. Pappas 
proudly and honorably served his country in the United States Air 
Force.
  Even after retiring from the Air Force, Mr. Pappas continued to serve 
his country loyally and devotedly. He served as Chaplain of the 
Disabled Veterans Association and worked tirelessly within the 
community to advocate and care for our Nation's veterans.
  Most important to Mr. Pappas was his sturdy and enduring relationship 
with the Lord. He was a longtime member of Bonaire First Baptist 
Church.
  Maya Angelou once said, ``A great soul serves everyone all the time. 
A great soul never dies.'' We are all so blessed that Mr. Pappas passed 
this way and during his life's journey did so much for so many for so 
long. He leaves behind a great legacy in service to all the veterans, 
families, and members of the community whose lives he touched.
  Mr. Pappas has achieved numerous successes in his life, but none of 
this would have been possible without the grace of God and his loving 
wife, Priscilla; their children, Dorothy, Stacey, and George; 
grandchildren, Christina, Ryan, Cassaundra, Brendon, Austin, Alexa, 
Olivia, Tucker, Ella, and Lila; and sister Athena.
  The race of life isn't given to the swift or to the strong, but to 
those who endure until the end. Mr. Pappas has run the race of life 
with grace and dignity and God has blessed him over his lifetime.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with the more than 700,000 
people of the Second Congressional District salute Mr. George Pappas 
for his outstanding service to his country and to his community. I ask 
my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join us in extending 
our deepest sympathies to Mr. Pappas' family, friends, and loved ones 
during this difficult time. We pray that they will be consoled and 
comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, 
and months ahead.

                          ____________________