[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE MEMORY OF FREDDIE B. YELDER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RASHIDA TLAIB

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 12, 2019

  Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the memory of 
Freddie B. Yelder, a beloved Detroit community member.
   Born July 15, 1934, Ms. Yelder spent her early years in Mosses, 
Alabama before moving with her husband and family to Detroit, Michigan. 
She quickly became a respected leader in her family, community, and 
church. Ms. Yelder was especially known for her kindness and generosity 
to others. The matriarch of the Yelder/Bain/Patton family, she cared 
for her large extended family, but especially her disabled brother, and 
as sole caregiver to her husband after he became disabled. As the owner 
of a party store, she never failed to donate goods and services to 
those in need. She never shied away from opening up her own home to 
others when someone needed shelter.
   Ms. Yelder's openheartedness and charitable spirit were an asset in 
the leadership role she assumed in her forty-three years as a member 
and former Board of Trustees President of Sharon Missionary Baptist 
Church. She initiated the organizing of the church mission, which two 
years later lead to the mission deciding to purchase the permanent 
structure called Sharon Missionary Baptist Church. One of her proudest 
accomplishments was when she successfully negotiated in the church's 
favor the initial selling conditions and reducing the church's costs by 
several thousand dollars. In addition to her work on behalf of the 
missionary program, Ms. Yelder supervised the ``Meet Up, Eat Up'' 
program, which fed countless children in the surrounding community, as 
well as the church soup kitchen, which was funded solely through her 
own fundraising efforts.
   In short, Ms. Freddie B. Yelder's life was distinguished by her 
generosity, kindness, and leadership. We give honor to her memory and 
tireless efforts in dedication to her surviving family.

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