[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E488-E489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING LOIS A. MURELL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 14, 2024

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
and legacy of Lois A. Parish Murell, who passed away at the age of 103 
on April 8, 2024.
  Lois was born on November 20, 1920, in El Paso, Texas to parents 
William C. Parish and Willie C. Parish. She attended Douglass High 
School and graduated from Austin Tillitson College with a Bachelor's 
degree in Home Economics.
  She met her husband, John Melvyn Murell while teaching, and moved 
with him from Texas to Oakland, California. They later settled in their 
dream home that they built in Windsor, California.
  Lois and Melvyn were prominent businesspeople in the Bay Area. Lois 
opened a high-end gift shop called ``Hi Lite Decor'' on

[[Page E489]]

Lakeshore Boulevard in Oakland and became the first Black businessowner 
in the Lakeshore shopping area. Together, Lois and Melvyn founded 
Oakland Federal Savings and Loan, the first Black-owned savings and 
loan company in Oakland. They also owned apartment buildings throughout 
the East Bay and a nightclub in Richmond, California.
  ``Auntie Lois'' was known for being a stylish dresser, great dancer, 
and the best cook. She loved to travel and spent many days taking trips 
with her friends in her senior travel group. She was known for being 
thrifty and instilled that quality in her nieces, encouraging us to 
save and invest our money to be independent women.
  She delighted in meeting her cousins, the Parrishes, later in life 
after she turned 100. Her family stories were engaging, and her memory 
was keen and sharp.
  Lois is preceded in death by her parents William C. Parish and Willie 
C. Parish and her sisters Juanita A. Franklin and Mildred P. Massey. 
She is survived by her loving nieces Mildred Whitfield, Beverly Hardy, 
and me, along with several great and great-great nephews and nieces, 
and a host of extended family and friends.
  Auntie Lois was a phenomenal woman and a loving Auntie who, despite 
having no children, was like a second mother to all of us. She will be 
greatly missed by all who had the honor of knowing her, especially 
those who were part of her family. May she rest in peace.

                          ____________________