[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 213 (Wednesday, December 16, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING MARK ALLEN GOUZD

   Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President I rise today to honor the life of 
a proud West Virginian and a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, 
my cousin, Mark Allen Gouzd.
  Put simply, Mark embodied what it means to be a West Virginian, and 
the legacy he has left is such an important part of our heritage. There 
is no greater accomplishment than being in a position to give back to 
your community, and his work in mine safety and rescue truly benefited 
our home State in a profound way that undoubtedly saved countless 
lives.
  After graduating from Mannington High School and later Fairmont State 
College, Mark began his career in land surveying and eventually began 
working with Federal Number 2 Mines. As an instructor for the Mine 
Rescue Program, Mark diligently prepared miners for the rigors of 
working underground. The teams he trained always went on to perform 
well in local, State, and even national competitions. For the last few 
years, Mark worked as an extension agent for West Virginia University 
as the manager of mine rescue and emergency response training at WVU's 
Doll's Run facility. He also served as the WVU Collegiate Mine Rescue 
Team trainer.
  Having experienced a coal mining tragedy within our own family, 
Mark's work was especially admirable and came from a place of caring 
deeply for the people who keep our lights on, as well as their 
families. West Virginia suffered an immeasurable loss when 78 brave 
coal miners were killed in the Farmington No. 9 mine disaster 52 years 
ago. My dear uncle John Gouzd, one of my neighbors, and several high 
school classmates were in the mine that day. For days, we all sat 
around the company store waiting for updates about the fate of our 
loved ones. I will never forget the look on my mother's face when she 
heard the news that her younger brother had died in the explosion. Our 
community and the entire State came together to mourn the lives we 
lost. For Mark and me, that disaster fueled our passion for promoting 
changes that would help keep our miners safe and also ensure their 
families were taken care of.
  I always consider myself fortunate to have grown up around such 
strong, inspiring people. Marion County and our home State as a whole 
is just special that way. I always respected and admired Mark for the 
strong, passionate leader he was. As a lifelong member of St. Patrick's 
Catholic Church in Mannington, Mark served as a lector, Eucharistic 
minister, and choir member. The importance of faith and family was at 
the forefront of everything he set out to do, and it carried him 
through any hardships he faced.
  He loved to work with his hands and found solace in gardening and 
working on his farm, and I know I join our entire family in remembering 
Mark as the hard-working, generous soul he was. His legacy lives on 
through our many loving memories of him as well as through the brave 
coal miners who learned from his lifesaving training.
  What is most important is that he lived a full life, surrounded by 
his loved ones. Gayle and I extend our condolences to his beloved wife 
of nearly 36 years, Lora; their sons, Zachary and his wife Kelly, and 
Jeremy and his wife Allie; and his grandson Oliver; as well as his 
parents Joe and Carole; his sisters, Christina and her husband Jack, 
and Cynthia and her husband Steve; his brother-in-law Remy Petrucci; 
and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Leonard and Judy Myers; in 
addition to his numerous nieces and nephews. Again, we extend our most 
sincere condolences from our family to theirs for our shared loss of 
this remarkable person. The unwavering love he had for our family, 
friends, and our home State will live on forever in the hearts of all 
who had the privilege of knowing him.

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