[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E46]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE MEMORY OF WILLA ``WILLIE'' CASH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RASHIDA TLAIB

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 24, 2023

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of Willa 
``Willie'' Cash, a long-time resident and community mother of Detroit 
in Michigan's 12th District Strong as we mourn her recent passing.
  Ms. Cash was born to the late Reed Barbee and Daisy Lilly Glass 
Barbee in Ripley, Tennessee on August 21, 1937. She graduated from 
Osceola High School in Osceola Arkansas and graduated from Wilson 
Junior College in Chicago, Illinois with an associate degree in 
business. Willa was introduced to her late husband, James E. Cash, by a 
mutual friend and they married in 1962. They later gave birth to 
fraternal twins, La'Tanya and La'Trece, James and Willa were married 53 
years at the time of his passing in 2015. Willa worked at Realco 
Company and James at Sears, Roebuck & Co. in Chicago, Illinois and in 
1979 the family moved to Detroit.
  Ms. Cash's work touched the lives of many when she transitioned to 
working for the State of Michigan Department of Unemployment Services, 
and later the Michigan Department of Human Services, where she served 
as a Family Independence Specialist before retiring in 1999 after 26 
years of service.
  Ms. Cash was a caring and concerned community member. She volunteered 
her time and energy with Unity Temple Apostolic Church of Detroit, the 
Greenwich Park Association Block Club, and she was a proud, lifelong 
registered voter, and a member-retiree of the UAW Region 1-A. Her 
hobbies included talking to her sister LaDora and friends daily, 
listening to her favorite gospel singer Lee Williams and the Spiritual 
QCs, and watching her favorite television programs.
  Above all, Ms. Cash's love, concern, and compassion for her family 
were extraordinary. Nothing compared to the special bond for her only 
grandchild A'uston who was the light of her world. She and her husband 
James gave A'uston all their energy and resources to assist him in 
graduating college and becoming a successful overseas professional 
basketball player. They were extremely proud of him. She kept his 
college team poster in her trunk to show it off on occasion.
  Please join me in recognizing Ms. Willa Cash's numerous contributions 
to our community as we honor her memory.

                          ____________________