[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2500-S2501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE YODER

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today I give tribute to a lifelong Iowan 
who has devoted his career in service to families who are mourning the 
loss of a loved one.
  From an early age, Charles Yoder knew what he wanted to be when he 
grew up. He lived next door to the Powell Funeral Home in Wellman, IA. 
That is where Charlie's precocious path to his lifelong occupation 
first started. Years later, he graduated from the Worsham College of 
Mortuary Science in Illinois. He returned home to Washington County, 
where he manages two funeral homes in Wellman and Kalona.
  Like many small business people across my State, Charlie's leadership 
reaches deep into the community. His civic stewardship reflects a 
character of service to others. He is a member of the Rotary Club, 
Kalona Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation of Washington County, 
and the Dayton Lodge. His public service includes time spent on the 
Mid-Prairie Community School District Foundation and the Kalona 
Library.
  A member of the National Funeral Directors Association, Charlie 
participated in its leadership conference here in Washington, DC, for 
the past 3 years. Like so many other events, the national conference 
this year was cancelled due to COVID-19. That didn't stop Charlie from 
stepping up to lead and help his profession navigate these difficult 
times.
  For the past 4 years as president-elect and president of the Iowa 
Funeral Directors Association, he developed strong relationships across 
its eight districts, traveling to each one across the State. Networking 
strengthened his efforts to update strategic plans and foster 
continuing education services.
  This collaboration also helped Iowa funeral directors meet 
unprecedented challenges from the pandemic. Iowans are known to 
celebrate the lives of the deceased with large funeral gatherings, 
attended by many people in the community, who gather to pay their 
respects and help friends and family mourn the loss of a loved one. 
Obviously, COVID-19 limited large social gatherings, including 
graduations, weddings, and funerals.
  Charlie developed guidelines to help Iowa funeral home directors 
adapt to the public health crisis and continue providing safe, 
compassionate, and personalized attention to the people and communities 
they serve.
  As caretakers in their respective communities, Charlie did not let 
COVID-19 redefine their mission to serve with professionalism, empathy, 
and integrity. Working with the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention and the Iowa Department of Public Health, Charlie's 
leadership helped ensure the public welfare was protected and that 
grieving families and their loved ones remained in good hands.
  I thank Charlie for service to his community and his vocation. As he 
steps down as president of the Iowa Funeral Directors Association, I am 
pleased to learn a member of the next generation plans to follow in her 
dad's footsteps. I congratulate him and his wife, Dorie, and wish their 
daughter Morgan all the best as she starts her studies and pursues her 
dream this fall.

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