[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 13, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF H. LEON COMER, SR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Norman) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the life of 
H. Leon Comer, Sr., who passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday, March 
5, 2019. He was a man born of humble means who never lost sight of 
where he came from.
  He was the son of the late John Stoll Comer, Sr., and Annie Lee Roach 
Comer, where he was one of seven siblings. He was born in Rock Hill, 
South Carolina, where he attended Oak Ridge Elementary School and later 
served in the United States Merchant Marines.
  He was married to Francis Watkins Comer for 64 years and had two 
children, Brenda Comer Sutton and Leon ``Chip'' Comer, Jr.
  Leon Comer believed in the value of hard work and, after working as a 
manager of a beer distributor in the greater Rock Hill market for 12 
years, he founded Comer Distributing in 1971, with only five employees, 
distributing 250,000 cases of beer, with only three routes.
  The original building, consisting of only 5,000 square feet, was 
located on Pendleton Street, and later expanded to 17,000 square feet 
to a much larger site on Carmel Road.
  Comer Distributing expanded into the greater Columbia market in 2012 
and, 1 year later, added another 11,200 square feet of space. The 
company opened in a two-story office building in 2018, along with an 
expanded warehouse. The company has grown to 70 employees, providing 
1.5 million cases of a variety of brand-name beverages each year.
  Leon retired in 1990; however, over the course of his lifetime, he 
served on many boards, clubs, and commissions, including the Rock Hill 
Economic Development Board; York County Natural Gas Authority; York 
Masonic Lodge #385; Hejaz Shriners; Winthrop Eagle Club, where he was a 
founding member; Ducks Unlimited; the South Carolina Beer Wholesalers 
Association, serving twice as chairman of the board; the Waterfowl 
Association; the American Legion; Frank Roach Post #34; the USC 
Gamecock Club; and many more organizations and local groups.
  Leon and his wife, Frances, were longtime members of St. John's 
United Methodist Church, where he was very active for many years. The 
lives that have been positively affected by the giving and donations to 
Christian causes, such as the men's shelters and the Boys and Girls 
Clubs, will be remembered for years to come.
  The company is now being run by his son, Chip Comer, and the legacy 
of his father can be summed up by the words of Chip when he said the 
following: ``My father is the epitome of what I would always want to 
be, as he taught me so many life lessons growing up.''
  Leon Comer left an indelible imprint on the many lives that he 
touched, and he will be remembered as a man who epitomized the meaning 
of ``true service above self'' and was a man who dedicated his life to 
serving his faith, his family, and his country.
  May God bless Leon Comer and his family.

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