[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 152 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1808-E1809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. STEVEN FRITZ

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 11, 2014

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise with Congressman Earl Blumenauer 
and Congressman Kurt Schrader to honor the life and work of Dr. Steven 
Edward Fritz, an Oregonian whose life was tragically lost in an 
accident in September of 2014.
   Steven Fritz was born in Frankfort, Kentucky on September 21, 1960. 
His parents are Salvation Army officers and Steven enjoyed moving to 
various assignments from Maine, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York 
City. Active in the Salvation Army, Steven was a teenager when he got 
his first job as a dishwasher at Camp Tecumseh, a Salvation Army 
children's camp in New Jersey. There he met Amanda, his wife, in 1977.
   Steven graduated from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, 
and medical school at the University of Rochester, NY. He completed 
residency training in psychiatry at Oregon Health Sciences University 
and became a board certified psychiatrist, serving at the Oregon State 
Hospital (OSH) for 24 years. For several years he was the Chief Medical 
Officer at OSH, but he preferred taking care of patients so he left 
administrative work and returned to staffing forensics units. He was 
also the President of the local chapter of the Association of Federal, 
State, and County Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Steven was described by 
his colleagues as a ``compassionate clinician'' who was guided by 
kindness and what was best for his patients. He often worked with 
people who would otherwise be incarcerated, and his approach was valued 
for its philosophy of allowing patient-collaboration in guiding 
treatments. He was praised frequently by his colleagues, his patients, 
and their families.
   After Steven and Amanda married in May of 1982, they did a 
nationwide search to choose a place to settle and raise their family. 
They moved to Portland in 1986. Their three children were born during 
the four years of Steve's residency training at OHSU. Steve and Amanda 
worked hard for many years raising their children, who attended 
Portland's public schools, and exploring natural areas in Oregon and 
the West Coast together as a family. They all particularly enjoyed 
camping in the Alvord Desert. Steve relished his relationships with his 
children, and was a terrific father.
   Dr. Steven Fritz is survived by his wife Amanda; their three 
children, Luke, Maxwell, and Alessandra; his parents, Colonel Edward 
Fritz and Colonel Emily Fritz of Portland, OR; two brothers and their 
wives, Samuel and Diana of Amherst, NY and Andrew and Jody of Olympia, 
WA; his loving in-laws in England, including mother-in-law Pamela and 
siblings-in-law Peter and Sue; and many nephews and nieces.
   We send our sincere condolences to his family, and join in the 
celebration of his life.

[[Page E1809]]



                          ____________________