[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 21, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF MRS. MAGGIE L. CRIMES

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a woman of 
grace, class and dignity, Mrs. Maggie Crimes. Sadly, Mrs. Crimes passed 
away on April 17, 2015. Her funeral service was held on April 19, 2015, 
at New Hope Baptist Church in Preston, Georgia.
  Mrs. Crimes was born in Webster County, Georgia on September 1, 1927, 
to the union of the late Mr. Willie Muff and the late Mrs. Evelyn 
Hawkins Muff Colbert Holley.
  She was educated in the Webster County School System. At an early 
age, she joined Shiloh Baptist Church in Preston, Georgia. In later 
years, she was a dedicated member of New Hope Baptist Church, also in 
Preston. In 1944, she married Mr. Jimmie Lee Crimes, Sr. This union 
produced ten children.
  Following in the footsteps of the great African American woman 
entrepreneur, Madame C.J. Walker, she pursued her entrepreneurial 
dreams and opened Mom's Kitchen in Preston in 1981. At the request of 
former President Jimmy Carter, she opened a second Mom's Kitchen 
location in Plains, Georgia in 2000.
  She made Mom's Kitchen a family affair, as many of her children and 
other relatives are employed in the business. Mom's is a place where 
you can get a good meal, get good customer service, and talk about the 
burning issues of the day. Mother Crimes made Mom's Kitchen a place 
that is welcoming to all people from many diverse backgrounds. She was 
a dear friend to me and my wife, Vivian. She gave me a platform and 
venue at Mom's Kitchen that I used on many occasions to interact with 
constituents.
  Mother Crimes was a great woman who treated all people with respect. 
She loved her God. She was honest, hardworking, and always told you the 
truth. She instilled these values in all of her children. Mom truly 
believed in the words of George Washington Carver, when he said, ``How 
far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, 
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant 
of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been 
all of these.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring the 
life and legacy of Mrs. Maggie Crimes and in extending condolences on 
behalf of my wife and the more than 730,000 people of the Second 
Congressional District. I know that her ten children, forty-three 
grandchildren, sixty-two great grandchildren, and four great great 
grandchildren will all miss her presence and wise counsel. But, I know 
that they will be more determined than ever to carry out her legacy. 
Heaven now has the ``best cook'' around and Mom now serves in the 
``greatest kitchen'' of all.

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