[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 141 (Friday, September 2, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E891-E893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF JEAN McDERMOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 2, 2022

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, today Jean M. McDermott would 
have turned 94. The ``adored wife, awesome mother, successful executive 
assistant and cherished

[[Page E892]]

friend,'' died earlier this year on April 1, and now is rejoicing in 
Heaven with our Lord and her husband, Jack, who predeceased her and, we 
are sure, received her with wide open arms.
  At Jean's funeral Mass on April 9th, her two children John and Mary 
gave heartwarming, moving eulogies. I share them today to remember Jean 
on her birthday through the words of her two ``favorite 
accomplishments.'' The statement of John J. McDermott, III. The 
statement of Mary McDermott Noonan.


``Jeanne'' McDermott: a woman of unwavering guiding principles. by John 
                           J. McDermott, III

       I have recently had the distinct pleasure to speak at 2 
     very special, though different, ceremonies:
       My daughter, Tara's wedding to Sean; and
       My Mother, Jeanne's heavenly reunion with my Father, Jack, 
     her sweetheart of 70 years.
       JEANNE'S FAITH and GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
       Jeanne Margaret McDermott was a woman of strong faith and 
     unwavering guiding principles.
       And like Jack, Jeanne was a dedicated practicing Catholic, 
     who was devoted to Mary, the Blessed Mother.
       Notably, my sister, Mary, was named after the Blessed 
     Mother, having been born, not coincidentally according to 
     Jeanne, on December 8th, the Feast Day of the Immaculate 
     Conception.
       And at various times, Jeanne regularly attended Mass at: 
     Mary Mother of God in Hillsborough, NJ; Queen of Apostles in 
     Alexandria, VA; and Immaculate Conception in Mauch Chunk, PA.
       And for good measure, her grandson, Johnny, has spent more 
     than half of his life at Notre Dame, the Irish Catholic 
     University of Our Lady.
       Known as a first-class communicator, one of Jeanne's 
     guiding principles was that:
       ``Do one more version, as you can always improve your 
     communication.''
       I am sure that this is why, with Jeanne looking over my 
     shoulder from up above, I have continued to edit these 
     remarks right up until game time.
       Another guiding principle for Jeanne was her intolerance 
     for anything but the whole truth, agreeing with Judge Judy, 
     that:
       ``If you tell the truth, you don't need a good memory.''
       THE JEANNE WE ALL KNEW.
       Not surprisingly, since her passing, Jeanne has been 
     remembered as: ``a very special, wife, mother, grandmother, 
     aunt and friend,''
       ``a witty wordsmith, one of a kind,''
       ``a genuine, caring and encouraging listener,'' and ``the 
     last great McDermott family Outlaw.''
       Jeanne was very smart and articulate, skipping 3 semesters 
     at Cathedral High and earning a full scholarship to Hunter 
     College.
       That was of course, an academic, not athletic, scholarship.
       Jeanne, ever the believer and beneficiary of ``chivalry is 
     not dead'' was also a very successful working Mother pioneer 
     in the 1950's.
       Now, if we were to play a word association game ``Jeanne'' 
     would be the obvious response to all of the following:
       Frank Sinatra--JEANNE; Cary Grant--JEANNE [you get the 
     picture], Jackie Gleason, The Honeymooners, Perry Mason, 
     snacks during the Late Late Late Show, The Bronx, Saks 5th 
     Avenue, the Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Show, 
     Brandy Alexanders, Baileys Irish Cream, Mallomars, Jell Rings 
     and Hershey Kisses--JEANNE
       And specifically with respect to the last few, her passing 
     last week apparently precipitated a crash in the chocolate 
     futures market, along with a suspension of all trading in 
     whipped butter and roast pork related commodities.
       THE JEANNE NOT EVERYONE KNEW.
       There are also several lesser-known Jeanne tidbits to 
     share:
       --unbeknownst to Jack, Jeanne had his wedding ring engraved 
     to say ``to my thick Mick!''
       --Jeanne picked Daylight Savings Time weekend for their 
     wedding date to get an extra hour to celebrate;
       --as often as Jeanne talked about how much she loved 
     working in the Empire State Building, the span of her entire 
     career at that iconic edifice was 2 weeks;
       --when Jeanne took a leave of absence from her Wall Street 
     employer to give birth to me, her firm regularly sent 
     messengers to ``Jeanne the Grammar Queen'' in The Bronx for 
     her to edit research reports and client correspondence;
       --and despite her SAT worthy and crossword tested 
     vocabulary, and notwithstanding that Jack, Mary and I spent 
     over 50 years in organized basketball, Jeanne always referred 
     to our sports passion as ``bouncy bouncy, the bally;''
       --and lastly, another of Jeanne's guiding principles was:
       ``Say it with diamonds, say it with mink, but never oh 
     never, say it with ink,''
       Jeanne uncharacteristically violated this one during one of 
     my more profligate periods, when she memorialized for all 
     posterity the following classic lines:
       ``Even though you work too hard and too long, and probably 
     neglect your schooling to do so, you are a financial 
     disaster,''
       ``I raised a lemon and I'm getting squeezed,'' and
       ``I feel like I am standing on the dock waiting for your 
     ship to come in, and then I discover that the boat has 
     already sailed and you are on it.''
       BON VOYAGE JEANNE GIRL.
       Well Jeanne, now we are all here at the St Anthony's Dock, 
     and your ship has finally come in.
       And you are now sailing to be restored atop that infamous 
     pedestal which Jack so appropriately put you on all those 
     years ago in The Bronx.
       And to use 2 more of your guiding principles:
       Firstly, as you now look down us, we suddenly realize that 
     what all this really means,
        Is that it really is ``All In The Jeans!''
       And secondly, to redeploy a rehearsal dinner verse I wrote 
     for you and Jack 37 years ago,
       ``What I'm most thankful for and hope everyone sees,
       Is that Mary and I are truly blessed that `Apples Don't 
     Fall Too Far From The Trees!' ''


  my mom, the fabulous ``jeanne'' mcdermott. by mary mcdermott noonan

       Faith and Love.
       Just two of the timeless gifts that our mom, Jean, and our 
     devoted dad, Jack, showered upon me--and Johnny--all the days 
     of their lives.
       Faith.
       Faith of course, is actually a gift from God. But what we 
     do with that gift, how we nurture it, is key.
       For me, Jean was the Nurturer in Chief.
       All faith opportunities were embraced and made fun. Like 
     daily Mass, often the prelude to a stop at the diner.
       And Jean's strong devotion to the Blessed Mother, was 
     passed on to me, albeit in an unorthodox way.
       While they were dating, Jean enlisted Jack to teach her to 
     drive. After she flunked her first road test, they devised a 
     plan.
       Jack would sit in the back seat. And he would puff on his 
     cigarette if Jean needed to change course.
       The plan was a disaster. Being in the back seat, Jack got 
     nervous instantly and puffed like a feen. Jean hit the 
     brakes; hit the gas; headed left, then right. It was chaos! 
     And strike two.
       For her third road test, Jean turned to a higher power.
       In her prayers she made a deal with the Blessed Mother. 
     ``Please intercede. Help me get my license and I will name my 
     first daughter Mary.''
       It was a true sacrifice as Jean strongly disliked the name 
     Mary. So plain. And in her generation--just too many Mary's.
       She hedged her commitment a little. She had come from a 
     broken home so she knew she wasn't getting married; she was 
     never having children and if she did, she was only having 
     boys.
       Jean took road test #3; she passed with ease and drove off 
     into happiness. First stop, marital bliss.
       Jean soon gave birth to their first child--as she 
     predicted, a boy--John Jerome McDermott the third. A loving 
     son. A patient brother.
       Three years later, Jean became pregnant again.
       ``Kenneth'' was due on Thanksgiving Day, but he didn't 
     budge.
       Days went by and worry set in. The baby's umbilical cord 
     was wrapped around the neck.
       After many hours of labor, praise God, baby and mamma 
     survived. It was a miracle.
       Only problem, it's a girl. ``Kenneth'' is not gonna work.
       As the story goes, it was Jack who reminded Jean of her 
     prayer/deal with the Blessed Mother. They took note that the 
     baby, now 11 days late, was born on December 8th, the Feast 
     of the Immaculate Conception.
       Coincidence? We think not. The Blessed Mother had 
     intervened again, to save Jean from a major spiritual 
     mistake. It's bad for the soul to try to outwit the Blessed 
     Mother.
       All my life, my mother has shared with me the benefits and 
     blessings of a devotion to Mary and Mary's maternal care for 
     those who call on her for help. The Rosary is now a staple in 
     my life. And I take great comfort in meditating on the 
     apparitions and Mary's visits to planet earth.
       I too turn to the Blessed Mother in big things and small. 
     She is a guiding conduit to our Lord and she delivers.
       After an accidental mis-engagement to the wrong fella, I 
     called upon the Blessed Mother. Please intercede. Bring me my 
     Mr. Right.
       She delivered Jeff Noonan. Right for me; and even a little 
     to the right of me! What a blessing for me and what at a 
     tremendous son-in-law and devoted care giver for Jean.
       Love.
       ``My affection once given, is never withdrawn.''
       That was Jean's mantra and the best safety net any child 
     could have.
       No matter what we did, and there were some doozies-Jean's 
     love was already secured and it would not be withdrawn.
       It was a mother's commitment that made you want to do 
     better; be better. Strive, to live up to her unconditional 
     love.
       Jean was not big on going to the doctors and after one 
     checkup she was told she had an enlarged heart-ie, her heart 
     was too big for her body.
       Her retort: ``Really? You needed a medical degree to come 
     up with that? I had hoped it was obvious.''
       It was her life's mission to love her family, love her 
     friends love her faith-and to show it. She was generous with 
     her time, her conversation, her wit, her talents, her 
     encouragement and most of all, her love.

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       She was successful and fabulous and now she is in heaven 
     enjoying her rewards with my dad.
       And though she is no longer here, I will love her as deeply 
     and as joyfully as ever, because I learned from the best.
       I love you mom. And know, that my affection once given, is 
     never withdrawn. Thank you, Jeannie. Toodleea for now.

                          ____________________