[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 29, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2656-S2657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                         REMEMBERING JAY BYERS

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, on Maundy Thursday, the Lord called home 
one of Iowa's best and brightest civic leaders and a beloved husband 
and father. A native son of northwest Iowa, Jay Byers passed away at 
age 54.
  Maundy is derived from the Latin term mandatum, which means 
commandment. On the night before His betrayal and arrest, Jesus gave 
his disciples a ``new commandment'' to love one another as he had loved 
them, John 13:34. By all accounts, Jay's life was deeply rooted in 
servant leadership. He lived his life in service to his family and to 
others, sharing his outsized leadership gifts to make his community, 
his alma mater, and his State a better place.
  I was honored to know Jay for several decades--first, as a 
congressional staffer to Congressman Leonard Boswell and later as he 
joined and eventually took the helm of the Greater Des Moines 
Partnership. In this leadership capacity, our paths would cross many 
times over the course of a decade to collaborate on issues important to 
the 11 counties and affiliated chambers for whom he spearheaded 
priorities, including the partnership's annual visit to Washington, DC.

[[Page S2657]]

  Through these meetings, I was impressed by Jay's professionalism, 
energy, and ability to motivate others around him to find common ground 
for the common good. You might say he was a force of nature who lifted 
up others through sheer grit and determination. I could always spot him 
in a crowd wearing his signature bow tie. When he served as president 
and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the organization 
experienced unprecedented growth, expanding to more than 6,500 members. 
That growth enabled Jay to flex political muscle and put in the work to 
achieve game-changing investment in the metropolitan area, including 
recreational amenities, job growth, and big-ticket infrastructure wins, 
including the new Des Moines International Airport terminal.
  A couple of years ago, Jay took on a new challenge to become 
president of his alma mater Simpson College in Indianola. Once again, 
Jay brought the Midas touch and made an immediate impact with faculty, 
staff, students, and alumni. During his first year on the job, Simpson 
saw its largest first-year student enrollment in more than a decade and 
increased first-year student retention. I have no doubt that Jay's 
energy was contagious on campus. He leaned into the Wesleyan values of 
faith, learning, and service in his professional and personal life.
  His character, work ethic, and loyalty were shaped from an early age. 
From his days as a musician and an athlete in high school to playing 
intramural games as a law student at the University of Iowa, to what 
probably seemed like herding cats in the capital city of Des Moines, 
Jay embodied the Lord's commandment: to see the goodness in others and 
to love one another.
  His distinguished accomplishments and professional accolades were 
hard-earned and well-deserved. As the dean of the Iowa congressional 
delegation, I am proud to say Jay made Iowa a better place.
  Barbara and I extend our sympathies to the Byers family and loved 
ones, including his wife Katie and daughters Sophie and Charlotte. May 
the ones he loved the most, and who are hurting the most with their 
loss, find peace in knowing this servant of the Lord is resting in 
Eternal peace.

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