[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 163 (Monday, September 21, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E863-E864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE OF BISHOP HEZEKIAH ROSS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. STEPHANIE N. MURPHY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 21, 2020

  Mrs. MURPHY of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor my 
constituent, Bishop Hezekiah Ross, who passed away on July 29, 2020, at 
the age of 91.
  Dr. Ross was a man of faith and a man of action. His life was defined 
by service to others. Dr. Ross served in the Army, deploying to Korea 
in 1950.
  After returning home to Central Florida, he became assistant pastor 
and then senior pastor at the West Sanford Freewill Holiness Church, 
serving there for over six decades.
  When I took office, I asked Dr. Ross--and he generously agreed--to 
serve on my faith leaders' advisory board. Despite his advanced age, he 
never missed a session. In his quiet, dignified way, he helped me 
better understand, and address, the needs of the Sanford community.
  Throughout his life, Dr. Ross ministered to his congregation, but he 
also led a street ministry and a prison ministry, counseling and 
mentoring men and women on the margins of society, those forgotten or 
forsaken by others.
  He was the epitome of grace and compassion in a world that needs more 
of both.
  Dr. Ross was also a trailblazer. In 1969, he became the first black 
firefighter in the city of Sanford. For 22 years, he was firefighter 
and a pastor, a rare and wonderful combination, saving lives while 
saving souls.
  Of course, it could not have been easy to integrate this institution. 
But Hezekiah Ross was never interested in doing easy things. He was a 
determined man. He wanted to serve his community, and he wouldn't be 
deterred or discouraged.
  At that time, in that place, the idea of a black firefighter could be 
hard to fathom--and Hezekiah faced his share of prejudice. But, over 
time, Hezekiah came to be accepted, admired, and--ultimately--beloved 
by his fellow firefighters.
  A few asked him to forgive them for the way they had initially 
treated him, which of course he did.
  Being a firefighter under any. circumstances takes courage. Being a 
firefighter under these conditions takes courage and character, and Dr. 
Ross possessed both.
  In 2004, more than a decade after he had retired from the force, Dr. 
Ross was invited to become the Sanford Fire Department's first 
chaplain, ministering to firefighters and their families.
  The man who was once tolerated was now treasured.
  Bishop Ross is survived by his wife Lelia, who was kind enough to 
speak to my office about her late husband. ``We were married for 68 
years,'' she told us. ``We did everything together.''

[[Page E864]]

  If Bishop Ross was the rock of Goldsboro, Leila was his rock.
  The Bishop's funeral service was a sight to behold. The streets of 
Sanford were basically shut down for the procession. A soldier played 
``Taps'' to honor his military service. His casket was transported on 
the back of a firetruck. Everybody was there. Black, white, young, and 
not-so-young, bound together by their affection for this extraordinary 
man.
  He will be greatly missed, but he is now home. May God bless this 
trailblazer and may God continue to bless his beloved community of 
family and friends.

                          ____________________