[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 179 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H9507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE MEMORY OF DR. RICHARD GOTTFRIED

  (Mr. ROTHFUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Dr. 
Richard Gottfried, whose life was tragically taken, along with 10 other 
congregants, during the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 
Pittsburgh on October 27.
  Raised in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Rich concluded his studies at the 
University of Pittsburgh Dental School. There, he met Peg Durachko, 
with whom he enjoyed a beautiful 38-year marriage.
  Rich and Peg ran a local dental practice. They also joyfully gave 
back to their community, providing dental care to the needy, including 
immigrants and refugees, at the Catholic Charities Dental Clinic and at 
the Squirrel Hill Medical Center.
  Their boundless love was reflected in their full respect of and 
engagement in each other's Jewish and Catholic faiths. When not serving 
as synagogue president or providing dental care, Rich and Peg relished 
evenings at home on their deck with wine and cigars.
  What took Rich from us was an act of pure evil, hatred, and anti-
Semitism. Love must overcome hate, and the love displayed by Rich and 
Peg, and now continued by her, can lead us all from grieving to 
healing.
  May Rich's memory be a blessing to Peg and his whole community.

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