[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5162-H5163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                      REMEMBERING CASSIE MAE SMITH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate a 
remarkable woman, Cassie Mae Smith, a Battleboro, North Carolina, 
resident, and my State of the Union guest this year whose beautiful 
life spanned 109 years.
  On August 10, she passed at her home, surrounded by family and 
friends. She was a beloved figure, affectionately called Ma Cassie by 
her neighbors and friends.
  She was born in 1914, before women had the right to vote. Once Ma 
Cassie was able to exercise her right to vote, she voted in every 
election she could and began advocating for others to do the same.
  In March, my office helped her achieve two items on her bucket list. 
She had never met a President or flown on an airplane. She flew to our 
Nation's Capital for the State of the Union. Afterward, she met 
President Joe Biden.
  While here, I am grateful for so many colleagues from across the 
country and from across the aisle for taking the time to speak with 
her.
  I am also grateful for President Biden spending time talking with 
her. If not the oldest, she had to be one of the oldest ever to attend 
the State of the Union Address. It meant a lot to her, and she was 
indeed grateful.
  She loved our country, the United States of America. Her story of 
resilience and grace has touched the lives of many, including my own. 
Her journey has inspired us all, from working on a farm in North 
Carolina to traveling for the first time at 109 on an airplane to our 
Nation's Capital.
  For those who knew her, Ms. Cassie Smith was also a woman of 
unwavering faith. She loved the Lord. She loved her church, Pittman 
Grove Baptist Church, and Pastor Thomas Ray Green and his wife, Sharon, 
who traveled with her for the State of the Union.
  In fact, after the State of the Union, she made clear to me, she 
said: ``I know my pastor prays for me.'' Frank Smith, her son, said his 
mother had a deep spiritual connection with God, always looking up when 
she prayed. He once asked: ``Momma, who are you talking to?'' She said: 
``I am talking to the Lord.''
  I also recognize Faye, Frank's wife and Ms. Cassie's caregiver, and 
all her caregivers.

[[Page H5163]]

  According to her son, the family had planned to celebrate Ma Cassie's 
110th birthday this October with a trip to the mountains, the last item 
that she had on the bucket list.
  Well, she didn't make it to the mountains. However, Frank, her son, 
said it best: ``God has said, I am going to take her, perhaps, to the 
mountain top.''
  We will forever hold her legacy in our hearts, and my deepest 
condolences go to her family and the Battleboro community.

                          ____________________