[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 177 (Thursday, December 8, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            REMEMBERING JOHN LIGNELLI'S LIFETIME OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2016

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a dedicated public 
servant, John Lignelli. ``Chummy,'' as his friends knew him, passed 
away on Thursday, December 1st at the age of 95.
   John was known best as the longtime hard working mayor of Donora, 
Pennsylvania, but John was no stranger to hard work and public service 
before being elected mayor. He attended Monongahela High School before 
he joined the Navy to serve his country during World War II. After the 
war, he returned to Western Pennsylvania to work in a steel mill. 
Before being elected to his first term as mayor of Donora in 1993, John 
served on the city's council and was a 50-year member of the Donora 
Fire Department.
   In 2013, the citizens of Donora elected John Lignelli to his sixth 
term as their mayor. As mayor, John was a true public servant to his 
beloved Donora. He organized an annual cashew sale to raise money for a 
new local library. He sold raffle tickets to purchase a new police 
cruiser after the only one they had broke down. Countless times he 
would open his own wallet if it meant improving the quality of life for 
Donora residents. He was chairman of the Washington County Housing 
Authority, where he fought to construct a senior citizen high-rise in 
Monongahela. Into his 90s, he still volunteered for Meals on Wheels and 
helped transport residents with special needs to services in nearby 
Charleroi. John was always searching for new opportunities to help his 
neighbors. In September of 2014, Mayor Lignelli decided to retire at 
the age of 93, capping off his four decades of service to the people of 
Donora and the Monongahela Valley.
   Those who knew Chummy know his true passion was helping his 
community. I want to honor Mayor Lignelli for his decades of dedication 
to public service, doing everything in his power to help his community. 
Mr. Speaker, Donora, Pennsylvania is known as the City of Champions, 
and they have lost a true champion of public service.

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