[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





               HONORING THE LIFE OF MOTHER BEULAH MAXWELL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOBBY L. RUSH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 22, 2022

  Mr. RUSH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the life 
and legacy of an extraordinary woman who held her family together 
through strength and prayer: Mother Beulah Maxwell.
  Mother Beulah was the mother of my late wife of 37 years and my 
beloved mother-in-law. She was a rock of inspiration, wisdom, and 
confirmation to me.
  The daughter of Lorraine Oliver and Leo Dewitt, Mother Beulah was 
born April 20, 1934 in Memphis, Tennessee and graduated from Fayette 
County Training High School in 1952, later known as Fayette Ware High 
School. Mother Beulah made friends everywhere she went and found Christ 
at the early age at Beulah Baptist Church, where she remained a loyal 
member for 60 years. She had four children: Carolyn, Vanesa, Kenneth, 
and Stephanie. She deeply loved her children and raised them to be 
upstanding citizens who valued community and service. Mother Beulah was 
active in the community as a church leader and as a Boy Scout leader--
she was a constant presence in her children's lives.
  As the matriarch of the family, Mother Beulah extended her support to 
family members, including myself and my late wife, Carolyn.
  Mother Beulah worked as a school bus driver for nearly 15 years and 
proudly served the children of Shelby County--never once receiving a 
moving violation. Later, she would live in the care of her family in 
both Chicago and Memphis.
  She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Frank Maxwell; 
and her daughter, Carolyn Rush. She is survived by her sister, Lizzy 
Stevenson; daughters, Vanessa Dennis and Stephanie Lemon; her son, 
Kenneth Shields--and grandchildren in addition to several great-
grandchildren.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Mother Beulah's family and with all 
who loved and were impacted by her.

                          ____________________