[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 126 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF BARBARA KELLER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ruiz) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, there are people whose empathy and compassion 
glow like a beacon, and others whose shine like the sun.
  That was Barbara Keller: A blazing star of kindness and an inspiring 
local leader who lived to serve others, championed causes that uplifted 
the sick, the poor, and fought for the rights of the LGBTQ community.
  For 3 decades, Barbara called California's Coachella Valley home. 
Barbara and her husband, Jerry, brought award-winning restaurants to 
the Coachella Valley. But it was Barbara's generosity and commitment to 
serving others that made her so remarkable.
  Barbara was a champion for combating HIV/AIDS through her leadership 
as the first female president of the Desert AIDS Project. Barbara was 
moved by the deaths and suffering of many HIV-infected friends living 
on the margins, facing injustice and discrimination in their struggle 
to live. She brought hope and healthcare to so many individuals living 
with, affected by, or at risk for HIV or AIDS.
  As a doctor, I had the honor of working with Barbara on the Desert 
AIDS Project in our shared advocacy for the health of local and 
medically underserved communities.
  Barbara's annual Steve Chase Awards fundraisers were a fixture of the 
Coachella Valley, as was her incredible gala dress fashion, second only 
to her beauty and class.
  Barbara also lent her compassion to defending the health of patients 
while working with the AIDS Assistance Project and the Loma Linda 
Children's Hospital.
  During her years of service to our communities, Barbara also helped 
grow our desert's art scene through organizations like the Palm Springs 
Art Museum and the McCallum Theatre.
  Barbara's generosity in her public life was complemented by her 
extraordinary kindness in her private life.
  My wife, Monica, and I knew Barbara as a dear, dear, friend and a 
wonderful role model to our daughters, Sky and Sage. I was constantly 
personally touched by her loving nature, her unwavering support and 
encouragement, and her dedication to her higher purpose.
  Barbara most treasured her family, and her greatest pleasure was 
being a loving wife, a mother, a daughter, and grandmother.
  Barbara devotedly cared for her aging father, Marvin Cohn, until he 
passed away in March at 106 years old, never once telling him she was 
undergoing intense chemotherapy for breast cancer. Barbara's death soon 
followed the following month on April 15, 2019.
  Barbara and her husband Jerry's marriage was a love story few can 
claim and a touching example of the power of true love.
  Barbara leaves behind her devoted husband, Jerry, her son, Brad, her 
daughters, Lindsay, Lisa, and Kelly, and her seven grandchildren, 
Taylor, Rebekah, Graham, Ridley, Greta, Eva, and Levon, and her sister, 
Carole.
  While Barbara's passing deeply saddens me, her memory will live on in 
my heart and in the hearts of the countless individuals whose lives she 
touched.
  In an era of ``me first,'' ego-driven, selfish ambition, Barbara 
reminds us that love, kindness, and genuine service to others is 
possible. She is the embodiment of good, humility, strength, and outer 
and inner beauty. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she 
improved and inspired. And she was a giant, a social architect, 
designing a healthier, kinder, more just community.
  Knowing Barbara, and calling her my friend, was an incredible, 
unique, and beautiful blessing in my life. And her story must be told 
and recorded in our national records, so that generations to come can 
learn the vast potential of our national spirit.
  She will be missed.

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