[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 18 (Thursday, January 25, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E97]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING ELIZABETH ``LIZ'' LEONARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RODNEY DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 25, 2018

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a 
valued member of the central Illinois community, Elizabeth ``Liz'' 
Leonard. Liz passed away on December 31, 2017 at just 64 years old, but 
her memory and legacy will continue to live on.
  Liz touched so many lives in the Springfield community where she 
taught in the Springfield School District 186 for more than 27 years. 
She was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother. Liz was also actively 
involved in the Springfield Bible Church and was a ``Huddle Leader'' 
for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for over 20 years.
  As so many people in the community know, the entire Leonard family 
was devoted to football. Liz's husband, Ken, and son, Derek, are high 
school football coaches for two rival teams in Illinois. The ``Leonard 
Bowl,'' played between Ken's Sacred Heart-Griffin Cyclones and Derek's 
Rochester Rockets, has become one of the most uniting high school 
sports spectacles in the state. I can only imagine the dilemma Liz 
found herself in while attending these games and deciding who to root 
for.
  As someone who knows the Leonard family well, my thoughts and prayers 
are with them and all members of our local community as we remember the 
tremendous positive impact the Leonard family and Liz have had on so 
many of our school districts and communities.
  I thank Liz for shaping young minds, supporting young athletes and 
Christians, and for being a shining light in all of our communities.

                          ____________________