[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S2168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                       REMEMBERING DONNA EASTMAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, when people ask me to describe my 
politics, I sometimes say that I try my best to follow the Gospel of 
St. Paul. By that, I mean I try to follow the examples of two good and 
wise men who showed me that politics, at its best, can solve real 
problems and advance our common good.
  The first of these two Pauls was Senator Paul Douglas, the brilliant 
economist and World War II hero who served in this Senate--in the same 
seat I now hold--and gave me my start in government when he hired me as 
a college intern to work in his Washington, DC, office.
  The other Paul was Senator Paul Simon, my greatest political teacher 
and dear friend. When he retired, he encouraged me to run to succeed 
him in this body. Paul Simon was the most decent public servant I have 
ever known--a man of uncommon integrity, vision, and accomplishment who 
was gifted with a capacious intellectual curiosity. And he was helped 
by a staff of men and women who shared his compassion and tireless work 
habits.
  Donna Eastman was one of those helpers. She was also my friend. And I 
was sad to learn that she passed away this past Saturday. She worked 
for Paul Simon for the 18 years he served in this body. And when he 
retired in 1996, it was my good luck that Donna agreed to join my 
staff. She ran my southern Illinois district office in Marion until she 
retired in 2008.
  Donna loved helping people and making their lives better, like so 
many of the dedicated Federal employees who are being fired illegally 
today. No case was too hard for Donna. She knew how to cut through 
redtape and how to calm people who were frustrated, frightened, or 
angry. She treated every person with dignity and respect.
  If you were lucky enough to meet Donna Eastman, you would not forget 
her. She was tall--5 feet, 11 inches--with a firm handshake, a warm 
smile, and an infectious laugh. She was quick-witted, caring, generous, 
and genuine. She also was a woman of many interests and seemingly 
inexhaustible energy.
  She was active in her women's club, her church, and in the civic and 
political life of her community. She was a gifted ``best of show'' 
painter of portraits and still lifes and an award-winning gardener with 
a magnificent flower garden. For a few years, when she was a young 
mother, she wrote a humorous column for her local paper, the Goreville 
Gazette.
  And those were just her hobbies. In addition to her public service 
work, Donna's primary occupation was co-owner with her husband Barry of 
Eastman's Orchard in Goreville, an 80-acre farm that produced some of 
the most delicious peaches and apples anywhere. Their secret was to 
wait until the fruit was perfectly ripe before picking it and selling 
it quickly to loyal customers. You couldn't miss the orchard's big red 
barn as you drove down Route 37.
  Donna and Barry knew each other their entire lives. They were a year 
apart in school. When Donna was a junior in high school, she was prom 
queen, and Barry was her escort. Three years later, they were married.
  Like Donna, Barry relishes new challenges, like grafting together two 
different trees to produce a better-tasting, heartier fruit. In the 
early 1970s, he ran successfully for sheriff of Johnson County.
  Donna Kelley Eastman came from good, strong stock. When she was a 
young teen, she watched her mother Juanita swing a hammer as she helped 
Donna's grandfather build the Kelley family home.
  Donna's father Bill Kelley was a person of many interests and 
accomplishments, like Donna. He was a World War II veteran and, at 
various times, an Illinois State trooper, long-distance truck driver, 
gas station owner, and board member of the local bank.
  Her parents taught Donna to be tenacious, work hard, and pursue her 
passions. They also taught her to be generous to others in need.
  The Kelleys were committed Democrats, and in 1960, Donna and her 
parents were all dazzled by John F. Kennedy. Her parents were awed by 
his charisma. Donna was captivated almost equally by JFK's idealism and 
Jackie's elegance. She decided that she wanted to be part of Camelot; 
she wanted to work for a common cause and a greater good. And she spent 
the rest of her life doing just that.
  Donna Kelley Eastman believed that a wise and compassionate 
government could help people live better lives and that she had a 
personal responsibility to help make that happen.
  She loved being in her garden and orchard in the springtime and 
witnessing the promise of another new beginning. She loved her country 
and community and, most of all, her family.
  Loretta and I offer our deep condolences to Barry, Donna's beloved 
husband of 62 years; their children Teresa, Matthew, and Melanie; and 
their families, including Donna and Barry's six grandchildren and three 
great-grandchildren; to Donna's sister Pam; and to her countless 
friends. We will all miss her. I couldn't have asked for a better 
ambassador.

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