[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 21, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THELMA LEE EDWARDS-RILEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2025

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to a 
remarkable South Carolinian--a woman who embodied the values of hard 
work, resilience, compassion, and grace.
  Thelma Lee Edwards-Riley, a daughter of Holy Hill, South Carolina, 
was born on July 10, 1930. She was a woman who was devoted to her 
family. A mother to Martha Stocker and Calvin Riley, she led a life 
full of warmth, love, and quiet strength. Her pride in her children was 
unbounded.
  She found joy in the simple and honest labor of working in her yard, 
tending lovingly to her plants and flowers. Her garden reflected her 
spirit: nurturing, patient, and full of life. Just as she cultivated 
her garden, she poured care, time, and love into the lives of those 
around her, most especially Colombia's Belvedere Community.
  Thelma Riley had a heart always ready to help whoever was in need. 
Whether someone needed a comforting word, a helping hand, or just a 
listening ear--she was there without hesitation and without 
expectation.
  The personification of the life and legacy of Ms. Riley is 
encapsulated in the twenty-fifth chapter of Mark, verse 40, `Truly I 
tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and 
sisters of mine, you did for me.' ''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in celebrating 
the life of Ms. Thelma Lee Edwards-Riley. Let us remember her with the 
love she gave so freely. Let us keep her memory alive through the acts 
of kindness we show, the care we offer others, and the strength we find 
in one another. Her life was a blessing and her memory a treasure.

                          ____________________