[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING JEREMY SHULL
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, today I would like to honor and pay
tribute to my former staffer Jeremy Shull. Jeremy came to my office in
2004 as a fellow. He quickly advanced and became the deputy military
legislative assistant in a short period of time. Jeremy was full of
life, always had a big smile on his face, and brought a lot of joy into
my office. I would like to share a bit about Jeremy's life and family
and then about his time in my office.
At the age of only 35, Jeremy fell into the arms of Jesus, doing what
he loved: climbing Capitol Peak in Aspen, CO, on August 6. He was the
loving husband of 7 years to Jamie and the proud father of 2-month-old,
Jack. Jeremy was born in Cincinnati, OH, on March 9, 1982, to his
parents, Bob and Linda Shull, and was raised alongside his two
brothers, Ben and Josh. From an early age, Jeremy's love of the
outdoors and his leadership skills were apparent to all. He went on to
graduate from Perrysburg High School, in Ohio, and Grove City College,
in Pennsylvania, where he discovered his love of rugby and
international travel.
After college, he made his way to Washington, DC, where he was
involved in the Falls Church Fellows Program and worked on Capitol Hill
in my office. During this time he met the love of his life, Jamie, at
Summer's Best Two Weeks, a Christian sports camp in Boswell, PA, and
the two were married in 2010. As a couple, Jeremy and Jamie lived and
worked in Washington, DC, Uganda, and went to graduate school at Geneva
College in Pennsylvania. In 2014, Jeremy earned his master's degree in
counseling and eventually went on to earn his LAC and LPC licenses with
concentrations in trauma and addictions.
Shortly after earning their degrees, Jeremy and Jamie moved out west
to Parker, CO, to pursue their adventurous dreams. Jeremy worked at a
crisis stabilization unit and in other settings where he counseled
clients in their worst moments, helping them to create vision and hope
for their futures. To quote Jeremy, he served others, ``to sustain the
weary and help clients overcome internal walls between them and a
thriving life.'' This past May, they welcomed their beautiful son, Jack
Ellis, into their family.
Jeremy is remembered by his wife, Jamie, and their 2-month-old son,
Jack. He is survived by Bob and Linda Shull of Fairlawn, OH, brother
Ben and his wife Emily Shull, and nieces Piper and Scout Shull of
Cincinnati, OH, brother Josh Shull of Washington, DC, grandparents
Norma Hissong of Bath, OH, Ken and Meg Shull of Seneca, South Carolina,
numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins in Ohio and South Carolina, mother
and father-in-law Mike and Teri Maurer and brother-in-law Justin Maurer
of Washington, DC.
In 2007, Jeremy traveled with me on a CODEL to Ireland, Ethiopia,
Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, France, and Italy. The CODEL was en
route to Africa when we had a required crew stop. The stop happened to
be only about 45 miles away from where my daughter Molly was teaching
and staying with her family. We only had about 24 hours on the ground,
and it was meant for a time for us to adjust from jet lag, but Jeremy
and I, along with my son-in-law and grandson, drove to the base of Mt.
Grappa, which is close to sea level. Four hours later, we reached the
top, which was 5,800 feet in elevation. We walked to the World War I
monuments at the top of Mt. Grappa and hiked back down.
Later in the trip, when we had a break from our meetings, the
delegation divided up and some of my staff decided to do a little
sightseeing in Venice but Jeremy chose to stay back and play soccer
with my daughter's kids. In doing so, he gave the rest of the
delegation a real gift. Jeremy had been to Venice a few years before
and had hidden a =100 note behind a brick in a wall hanging over one of
the many canals. He gave us a list of clues as we went to Venice.
Instead of sightseeing, we spent the time following the clues Jeremy
gave to us and finally discovered the location. When our military
escort pulled the brick out of the canal wall, he found the =100 note
laying behind it. We took a photo of the note and then placed it back
in the wall. We were careful to make sure that nobody saw us replace
it. It was a very clever set of clues, and it became the most memorable
times to visit Venice. Afterwards, we asked Jeremy why he hid this
money in Venice and also in a couple other European cities. He said
that one day he wanted to bring his future wife to Europe and take her
on a treasure hunt. That was Jeremy. He was overflowing with adventure
and very intentional in how he lived out his life of adventure.
Jeremy had a strong faith in Jesus Christ and lived his life to the
full. Jeremy was best known for his adventurous spirit, curious nature,
intentional relationships, and servant-heart. He was a volunteer
firefighter and was devoted to his growing family. He put others first,
and in a culture and generation that is more me focused, Jeremy was the
opposite, always putting others before himself. I loved Jeremy--his
steadfastness, his love for Jesus, and his desire to enjoy the outdoors
that God created. He will be missed by everyone who was close to him
and who he touched. He will also be missed by me and my office.
____________________