[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 132 (Thursday, August 13, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF DENNIS LOPATA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, August 13, 2026

  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize and congratulate 
Dennis Lopata on his retirement as Executive Director of Life Care 
Center of Wilbraham after nearly two decades of service.
  Dennis has dedicated his entire career to caring for the most 
vulnerable in our society. A proud graduate of Minnechaug High School, 
Dennis graduated with a degree in Healthcare Administration from 
Worcester State University before receiving his Master's degree from 
Western New England College. He started his career as the Vice 
President of Support Services at Holden Hospital and then as Assistant 
Hospital Administrator for Springfield Municipal Hospital. He 
transitioned to senior living in 1992 as the Executive Director of 
Farren Care Center before serving as the Executive Director of LaChance 
Center in Fitchburg for ten years.
  I have visited Life Care Center of Wilbraham on numerous occasions. 
As many of us know, moving a loved one to a long-term care facility can 
be a very traumatic experience. His compassion and attention to the 
residents and their families were evident from the moment they met him. 
One example of his concern for others came in the aftermath of the 
tornadoes that ravaged the area surrounding his building. Dennis spent 
the night at the facility, taking admissions by flashlights and 
reassuring residents and associates alike. It was this type of 
commitment that earned him the Chairman's Award, the highest honor 
bestowed on an associate by Life Care.
  Dennis has been a strong health care leader, and his commitment to 
service to the community has spanned over 40 years. He serves as the 
President for the Board of Directors of the Country Club of Wilbraham, 
the ERC5 Chamber of Commerce, and the Gardner Rotary Club.
  I thank his children, Nicolas, Nathan, and Abigail, and his wife and 
high school sweetheart, Sharon Nowak, who passed away in 2002, for 
sharing Dennis with the thousands of individuals and families whose 
lives were forever changed by his selflessness and lifelong devotion to 
caring for others.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Dennis all the 
best on his well-earned retirement.

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