[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN MEMORIAM--FAITHFUL AND DEDICATED CONGRESSIONAL SERVICE OF ERIC 
                       ``RICK'' ZABEL REMEMBERED

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2022

  Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Eric 
``Rick'' Zabel, who worked for the U.S. House of Representatives' Chief 
Administrative Officer's Office of Payroll and Benefits, and passed 
away Saturday, February 5, 2022, after more than 43 years of 
Congressional service. Rick served as a Retirement Counselor, 
supporting staff in the offices of House Leadership, Officers, and 
Committees over his 13 years of service to the People's House. Before 
joining the House, Rick also worked for the U.S. Senate for over three 
decades as a Retirement Counselor for Senate Disbursing, providing 
faithful service to all Congressional staff throughout his tenure. Rick 
was a consummate professional and took great pride in providing 
detailed information, benefit options, retirement estimates, and advice 
to ensure Congressional staff could make well-informed retirement 
decisions and maximize their benefits.
  The CAO was lucky to be blessed with the knowledge and expertise of 
Rick's more than 43 years of Legislative Branch retirement experience. 
The House truly benefitted from his expertise, with staff of the Office 
of Payroll and Benefits learning under Rick's tutelage to progress in 
their careers as Benefits Specialists. Rick equipped staff from the 
Office of Payroll and Benefits with his knowledge, professional pride 
in ensuring staff understood their retirement benefits, and ability to 
assist Congressional staff in maximizing their benefits.
  Rick was an early-bird and always ready with a cheerful morning 
greeting of ``Hey, how you doin'?!'' Those who knew Rick will miss his 
passion for retirement as well as chatting with him about his wife, 
Rosemary, and his sons, Christopher, Matthew, and John Paul, his Maine 
Coon cat, T.C., his love of golfing, his green thumb gardening skills, 
his time at Virginia Tech, and his excitement about baseball--in 
particular, the New York Yankees. Rick coached his son's little league 
baseball teams and loved every moment of imparting his love and 
knowledge of the game with a new generation, specifically his boys. One 
of Rick's most exciting professional baseball memories was attending 
the New York Yankees World Series games in New York and being a part of 
the pinnacle of the sport, cheering on his favorite team. Rick also had 
a favorite National League team, the Washington Nationals, and was able 
to attend a World Series game for the 2019 season in which they won the 
World Series 4-3.
  Dealing with the loss of a colleague and friend is always very 
difficult. The Legislative Branch lost a dear colleague and friend in 
Eric ``Rick'' Zabel, who will be sorely missed. However, his legacy 
will continue in the Congressional staff he counseled about their 
retirement and the colleagues he trained over the years.

                          ____________________