[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1534-E1535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN REMEMBRANCE OF MRS. VELORIS ``JEAN'' WILLIAMS-EDWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 8, 2017

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a great woman 
and sincere friend, Veloris ``Jean'' Williams-Edwards. Jean passed away 
on October 29, 2017. Funeral services will be held at Mount Calvary 
Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia on Saturday, November 11, 2017 
at 11:00 a.m.
  A native of Wooten's Crossroads, North Carolina, Jean was born to 
George T. and Lacy Ann (Mott) Williams, as the fourth of eight 
children. A product of the Greene County School System, she graduated 
from Greene County Training School in 1959. She went on to attend North 
Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University (NC A&T) where she 
earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education. After earning 
her Bachelor's degree, she earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching from 
the University of Maryland.
  In 1964, she married the love of her life, Leon Edwards, and they 
built a life that was based on the love of God, the love of each other, 
the love of family and the love of people. They knew that the love of 
these could lead one to a close and fulfilling relationship with God 
because they are an embodiment of His greatest commandments: to love 
Him with all your ``heart, mind and soul'' and to ``love thy neighbor 
as thyself.''
  Jean's passion for education persisted during her professional career 
as a teacher, a vocational development specialist and a transition 
coordinator, where she taught her students to be of service to others. 
After her career in education, she went on launch a dress shop, work as 
a promoter for various events, and work alongside her husband at 
Edwards Trucking Company (which evolved in to a productive 
transportation company), before becoming a staff assistant in the 
office of former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. The treasured 
relationships she developed and the exciting daily operations of the 
Office of the Speaker made her experience on Capitol Hill beneficial.
  Maya Angelou once said, ``A great soul serves everyone all the time. 
A great soul never dies.'' Jean was undoubtedly great because of her 
devotion to her work, and the compassion she showed for her friends and 
loved ones.
  On a personal note, Jean became a trusted friend on Capitol Hill. I 
was truly blessed by

[[Page E1535]]

her friendship as I started my congressional career. Her advice, 
counsel and assistance were invaluable.
  Jean was preceded in death by her siblings; Gerald Lee Williams, 
Marjorie (Daisy) Williams, George Earl (Bob) Williams, and Melvin 
(BoBo) Williams.
  She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Leon A. Edwards; her son, 
Reginald Edwards (Sherry); her daughter, Tiena Edwards; two sisters, 
Dorothy Clark (Washington, D.C.); Sabrina Hickman (Greenville, NC); two 
grandchildren, Reggie (Chaz), and Miesha; two great-grandchildren, 
Miayah-Joy Keith and Somer-Hope Keith; two God-children, Julia Chaney 
(Winston) and Malika Taylor-Phillips; and a host of relatives and 
friends.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House to join my wife, 
Vivian, and me in extending our deepest sympathies to Jean's family and 
friends during this difficult time. May they be consoled and comforted 
by their abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and 
months ahead.

                          ____________________