[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 119 (Thursday, July 10, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E657-E658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MOURNING THE LOSS OF MRS. FREIDA B. DORITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2025

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the loss and celebrate the 
life of a friend and a great American: Mrs. Freida B. Dority of 
Alabama. She passed away on June 28 at age 73. I came to know her over 
the years on the Faith and Politics Institute's Congressional Civil 
Rights Pilgrimages to Alabama. Mrs. Freida served as Director of 
Culinary Experiences for the Faith and Politics Tour Luncheon, playing 
a leading role hosting Members of Congress and other distinguished 
guests as we came to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and pay 
tribute to the civil rights heroes who helped build a more perfect 
Union.
  The bible tells us: Offer hospitality to one another without 
grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to 
serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms, 
1 Peter 4:9-10. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Freida offered her hospitality 
cheerfully, eagerly, and enthusiastically. She had many gifts, 
including a lifelong aptitude for

[[Page E658]]

cooking. The hearty fare that came out of her kitchen nourished not 
only the body but the soul. She put together meals infused with joy, 
love, and comfort. It was impossible to partake without feeling kinship 
and community with those around you. The Members who attended the 
pilgrimages came from across the country and the political spectrum. 
Mrs. Freida helped bring them closer together, not only with her food 
but with her warm, generous spirit. So too did the rest of the team at 
First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, including Benjamin and 
Annie Beasley and Reverend E.B. Morris.
  Some of my most cherished memories are walking across the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge arm-in-arm with my dear friend and brother, John Lewis, 
on numerous pilgrimages over the years. Those memories are incomplete, 
however, without recalling the stories, laughs, and prayers he and I 
shared at the dinners Mrs. Freida helped prepare.
  Indeed, Mrs. Freida lived a life of service. As an Army & Air Force 
Exchange Services Manager at Maxwell Air Force Base for nearly two 
decades, she helped lift up countless servicemembers and military 
families. From singing in the First Baptist Church's Choir to 
overseeing its Meals on Wheels program, Mrs. Freida was also a leader 
in her church and her community.
  No one was more familiar with Mrs. Freida's, beautiful soul than her 
family. She was a loving wife of 52 years to her husband, Chief Master 
Sergeant Jackie T.L. Dority. She lovingly raised her daughter, Alisha; 
adopted son, Eric; and numerous foster children over the years. She was 
a nurturing force in the lives of so many, including her siblings, 
grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and many godsons and goddaughters. 
My prayers are with her family and with everyone whose life was blessed 
by her generosity.
  Mr. Speaker, until her very last breath, Mrs. Freida B. Dority was, 
as the verse said: a faithful steward of God's grace. May her memory 
not only be a blessing but a calling for all of us to act as faithful 
stewards of that grace as well. I ask that all my colleagues join me in 
praying for her and giving thanks for her life of service.

                          ____________________