[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF IRA LOOMIS FLOWERS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  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. Ira Loomis Flowers. Sadly, Mr. Flowers passed away on 
Friday, February 28, 2014. A service celebrating his life will be held 
on Saturday March 8, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at First Missionary Baptist 
Church in Thomasville, Georgia.
  Mr. Flowers was born on January 4, 1953, in Washington, DC, to Bessie 
Lee Flowers Moore and the late Guyte Smith, Sr. After obtaining a 
Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Stillman College, Mr. Flowers 
dedicated much of his life to youth development. He served in the Boys 
and Girls Club of Houston, Texas, before serving as a director at the 
YMCA in Columbus and Thomasville, Georgia, as well as the director of 
the Thomasville Resource Center. He worked for the Colquitt County 
Board of Education before retiring. He was steadfastly dedicated to 
furthering the success of men and women in his church, workplace, and 
community. He worked tirelessly to open doors and to level the playing 
field for at-risk youth in Southwest Georgia.
  Mr. Flowers was an influential member of society and a local civil 
rights legend. He organized and was president of the Malcom X 
Liberation Front. My Brother in the Bond, Mr. Flowers was also devoted 
to our beloved Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and was heavily 
involved in fraternity activities.
  Most important to Mr. Flowers was his sturdy and enduring 
relationship with the Lord. He was a longtime member of First 
Missionary 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. Flowers 
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 
children, families, and members of the community whose lives he 
touched.
  The race of life isn't given to the swift or to the strong, but to 
those who endure until the end. Mr. Flowers has run the race of life 
with grace and dignity and God has blessed him over his lifetime.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me and my wife, Vivian, in 
saluting Mr. Ira Loomis Flowers for his outstanding service to his 
community. We pray that Mr. Flowers' family, friends and loved ones 
will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit 
in the days, weeks and months ahead.

                          ____________________