[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 104 (Monday, June 22, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING MARTHA ANN HART CUSIMANO FOR HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO CENTRAL 
                                FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 22, 2026

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, Martha Ann Hart Cusimano was a community 
leader and passionate advocate for the hungry and vulnerable.
  Making a difference started early with Martha. A native of Buffalo, 
New York, from a family deeply rooted in faith and service, she learned 
to swim in Lake Erie from her dad. From then on, she became a lifelong 
swimmer. When its waters were threatened by pollution in the 60s, she 
was part of a movement of Western New York women who pushed to clean 
them up.
  In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Martha earned a Bachelor of Arts in 
Business and Marketing from DeSales University, graduating Cum Laude 
while raising a family and working in marketing and community relations 
at DeSales University and St. Luke's Hospital. At Lehigh University, 
she completed graduate coursework in American history, was a member of 
the first Leadership Bethlehem class, served as vice chair of the 
Bethlehem Community Foundation, was honored with the Miss Pennsylvania 
Woman of Achievement Award, and was one of three to receive the 
Bethlehem Star Award from the Burn Prevention Foundation for her work 
raising millions for that charity. As founder and executive director of 
the Greater Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers Association, she not only 
produced auto shows but also created a charitable foundation and helped 
donate millions to local charities and scholarships. She was also a 
charter member of the Women's Automotive Association. At Notre Dame of 
Bethlehem parish, she founded the School Advisory Association, served 
on the parish council, and was a beautiful leader of song.
  As a teen, Martha met her husband, Jim, at St. Aloysius Gonzaga 
Parish in Buffalo. They led fundraising to build the new St. Rose of 
Lima Church in Kissimmee, which opened in 2017, and founded ``DUO: Do 
Unto Others,'' an initiative with Solivita neighbors, which raised over 
$700,000 for the food pantry in the ensuing years. The pantry provides 
food to over 70,000 food-insecure people annually, including during the 
COVID-19 pandemic. Martha also served on the board of Habitat for 
Humanity Osceola for eight years and worked with Osceola County to 
provide nine homes for people in need of affordable housing. She also 
testified before Members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on the need 
for the Farm Bill to include aid for food pantries. For her work to 
help the hungry and marginalized in Central Florida, Martha was honored 
by Osceola County with the ``Woman Warrior'' Award.
  She did all of this while battling breast cancer for 19 years.
  In retirement, Martha enjoyed making pilgrimages to the Holy Land 
with the Jesuits of America Media, and to the Marian sites of Knock, 
Ireland, Fatima, and Lourdes. A dual Irish American citizen, Martha's 
family helped build the church in Knock, Ireland, at the site of the 
miraculous sighting of Mary. She remained close to her Irish family, as 
well as to her American and Mexican family and friends.
  Martha was a dedicated mother to Joseph Cusimano, Maryann Cusimano 
Love and husband Richard, Theresa Cusimano, and Patricia Cusimano Gomas 
and husband Jeff. Martha was a proud grandmother to Megan Cusimano 
Hower and husband Jim, as well as Adam Cusimano and Maria, Ricky, and 
Ava Love. She was a loving great-grandmother to Jack and Lydia Hower 
and Aria Grace Cusimano, and a godmother to nieces Katie Gill and Nina 
Hart.
  Martha died the evening of November 30, 2025, at the age of 82. She 
was surrounded by her husband and her four children. Among her last 
words were, ``Gotta go to God,'' and ``Promise me you will complete 
building of the Lima Center food pantry, promise me,'' true to her 
passions in life.

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