[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 199 (Wednesday, December 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING NEIL ETSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2017

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
remember Neil Etson of Olney, Illinois, who passed away on December 2, 
2017, at the age of 93 surrounded by his family at the homestead he 
built fifty years ago.
  Neil dedicated his life to service to others, serving his country, 
his church, and his community.
  In May the Rotary Club of Richland County presented Neil with the 
Quilt of Valor for his service during World War II, where he served 
honorably as a Staff Sergeant with the 766th Military Police Battalion.
  However, anyone who met him knows that Neil's first and foremost 
priority was his family, especially Frances, his wife of 66 years, 
their three children, ten grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
  The Olney community has lost a dedicated entrepreneur and community 
leader. Yet while we mourn his loss, we should remember that Neil 
Etson's legacy lives on in his family and in the three children's books 
that he authored based on a lifetime of stories shared with his family.

                          ____________________