[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 98 (Thursday, June 8, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H4709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF PHILLIP D. LEDFORD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Arizona (Ms. McSally) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Phillip 
D. Ledford, Navy veteran, dog lover, patriot, and husband to Helene, 
his wife of 41 years.
  I was blessed to be Phil's next-door neighbor in Tucson for the last 
20 years. Having lost my father at the age of 12, Phil became a father 
figure to me, and I loved him deeply.
  Phil was born in Ohio and joined the Navy in 1963, at the age of 17, 
requiring his father to approve his enlistment. After 4 years serving 
as a boilerman and traveling the world, he transitioned to civilian 
life. After working in Ohio as a commercial refrigerator technician, 
Phil, Helene, and their beloved English Setter named Molley moved to 
Tucson.
  Phil and his best friend and brother-in-law Mike would go on 
adventures in the desert and mountains, exploring old mines, gold 
prospecting, and hiking the beautiful landscapes of Arizona.
  After Molley passed away, Phil and Helene couldn't imagine bringing 
another dog into their broken hearts for a while. Slowly, my Golden 
Retriever, Penelope, started to melt his heart, and soon they were 
spending their days together. Phil and Helene cared for Penelope when I 
was deployed to Afghanistan, then drove across the country to help me 
move when I got orders to Alabama. Phil came out to babysit Penelope 
and even drove her all the way back to Tucson to be at home for a while 
with Helene.
  Phil volunteered to be a foster for the local Golden Retriever rescue 
organizations. He took this responsibility seriously, caring for many 
goldens coming out of difficult circumstances. One golden named Rudy 
had cancer, and Phil agreed to care for him until he passed. Rudy was 
deathly afraid of thunder, but Phil discovered that Rudy's fears were 
cured if he was riding in a car. So every time storms came, Phil would 
load Rudy up--even borrowing Mike's van so that Rudy could enter more 
easily--and drive him around so he wasn't afraid during the storm, even 
if the storm lasted all night--no complaints and no questions asked.
  When I returned home to Tucson, we cut a hole in the wall between the 
two houses, and we had doggy doors, food bowls, toys, and treats in 
both places. Penelope happily lived in both of her homes again, roaming 
freely. What a life. What love.
  Phil was with me when Penelope passed in 2014. Within a few weeks, 
Phil's best friend Mike went to be with the Lord after battling Agent 
Orange-caused cancer for years. It was a rough spring for Phil, losing 
his best guy friend and furry friend so quickly.

  Despite our grief, we soon welcomed a rescue golden named Boomer into 
our lives and hearts. Boomer was a 10-month-old, energetic handful, and 
Phil got to work with his training, coaching, and love.
  Phil was a patriot, who loved his country, God, and valued a hard 
day's work. He was a skilled tradesman, who was always eager to pull 
out his tools and try to fix literally anything that broke in the house 
or car.
  Those of us who knew him best and loved him called him our favorite 
curmudgeon. He was stubborn and opinionated but would literally give 
you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his wallet.
  He used to scold me on my lack of discipline with the dogs. Boomer 
would get rambunctious with me and not listen but was perfectly well 
behaved with Phil. I realized, finally, that Boomer saw me as a litter 
mate and Phil as the pet parent.
  In November 2015, Phil was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. The 
last year and a half, he navigated an extremely difficult journey. He 
channeled his stubbornness towards his fight against cancer and refused 
to give up or get down. His deep character traits of selflessness, 
faith, love, courage, and humility were tested and purified on this 
walk. He was a hero and example to all of us in the face of extreme 
pain, suffering, adversity, and eventually the end of his physical 
life.
  In mid-April, the cancer came back with a vengeance and rapidly 
spread. The pain was unbearable at times, and it was so difficult for 
us to watch him suffer.
  Two weeks ago yesterday, he took a turn for the worse. I flew home 
from D.C. to be with him. After a long night, Helene, Boomer, and I 
were by his side, praying he would be willing to let go and be received 
into God's holy embrace. He was unconscious for over 24 hours, but in 
that prayer, he scrunched his eyes closed twice, took his last breath, 
and went to be with the Lord, finally free of all the suffering and 
fully restored.
  We could all learn a lot from Phil Ledford. He did not live a 
complicated life and found pure joy in simple and beautiful things: a 
walk with a beloved dog; exploring with his best friend Mike; watching 
football with his adored bride, Helene; tinkering with the furnace or 
his Jeep; a walk and casual dinner at our local favorite restaurant, 
Papa Locos; driving me to the airport or events with constituents; 
taking care of and protecting those whom he loved. He didn't seek 
glory, fame, or riches, but humanity, integrity, loyalty, and service.
  Phil Ledford was a good man with a large heart and a selfless spirit. 
I truly could not have served in my calling in uniform and in Congress 
without his love and support. He directed us to not have a memorial 
service or funeral, but he never said anything about a speech on the 
floor of the House of Representatives. It is the least I could do to 
honor his impact on my life and all those blessed to know him and love 
him, human and furry. We love you and miss you, Phil. As the song says: 
``Go rest high on that mountain. Son, your work on Earth is done.''

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