[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9501]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                CONGRATULATIONS DON AND MARY LOU JACOBS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2001

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Don and Mary Lou 
Jacobs of Bay City, Michigan, as they prepare to celebrate fifty years 
of marriage and a life-long commitment to each other and their nine 
children. The Jacobs' dedication and loving relationship serves as an 
excellent model for their family, friends and neighbors.
  Don and Mary Lou met at LaLonde's Ballroom on Center Avenue in 
Hampton Township, Michigan. After a year and a half of courtship, Don 
proposed, and Mary Lou accepted. They were married on the twenty-sixth 
of May, 1951, and their marriage has been blessed with nine wonderful 
children: Maureen, Marie, Marlene, Donald, Darrell, Michele, Darin, 
Duane and Marcia. Mary Lou has devoted her life to raising and 
nurturing the children and providing a stable and supportive family 
environment. Don had a long and distinguished career in the automobile 
industry and, in 1988, retired from the UAW International staff giving 
him more time to spend with Mary Lou, their children and their 
grandchildren.
  In today's society, it is a rare and praiseworthy occasion for a 
couple to spend fifty years together. Over the years, Don and Mary Lou 
have had many good times and much happiness to celebrate. Like any 
strong relationship, they also depended upon each other and their 
family to overcome some hardships. Their enduring love helped them make 
it through those times of strife and only served to deepen and enrich 
the joy of their partnership.
  A good marriage is one of life's greatest covenants because it 
represents a declaration of love, and, as Paul said in his Letter to 
the Corinthians, ``Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, 
but do not have love, I am nothing.'' Don and Mary Lou exemplify the 
promises outlined in the marriage pledge that so many others have 
invoked: through sickness and health, for richer or for poorer, their 
commitment and their love has remained strong.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Don and 
Mary Lou Jacobs for the strength of their commitment to their family 
and to each other and in wishing them many future years of happiness.

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