[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 106 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF ANITA EHLERS

  (Mr. CASTEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CASTEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Anita Ehlers, a 
constituent member of the Barrington, Illinois, community I represent 
and, more importantly, a friend.
  I never knew Anita when she didn't have cancer. But for a long time, 
I didn't know that she did. She just never let it define who she was.
  I knew her as a wonderfully kind, hardworking woman who was committed 
to making the world a better place.
  Our Speaker often reminds us: ``We don't agonize. We organize.'' 
Every time she says it, I see Anita's face in my head.
  I never saw her feel sorry for herself. Every time I was with her, it 
seemed like all the thoughts in her head were on how to make the world 
a little better for everybody else: her husband, Gregg; her daughters, 
Julia and Lindsay; her friends and neighbors; me and all the folks she 
was motivating.
  As a women's marcher, a climate protector, an ally for the LBGT 
community, a universal health coverage champion, a union member, a 
teacher, and a lung cancer support advocate, she never agonized. She 
organized.
  The world, and our district, is a sadder place without her. But I 
take inspiration because she always made our community a better place.
  May we all find the strength to follow her example, to make the world 
around us a little easier for everybody else, no matter the adversity 
that we may personally face.

                          ____________________