[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 23634] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]REMEMBERING JOHN JAY GEDDIE ______ HON. FRANK R. WOLF of virginia in the house of representatives Wednesday, September 5, 2007 Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I want to bring to the attention of the House the recent passing of a former Senate staffer and reporter, John Jay Geddie, of Sterling, Virginia, in my congressional district. I knew John for more than 15 years and always enjoyed reading his weekly columns. He died August 22, 2007, at Inova Fairfax Hospital of kidney failure and pneumonia related to the treatment of cancer. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Shannon LaNelle Geddie of Sterling; a son, John L. Geddie of Reston, and a brother Michael Geddie of Kilgore, Texas. Below is an excerpt of remarks read at his funeral last week in Leesburg. Written by his son, these words truly capture who John was and what was important to him. Certainly, most of the people here are most familiar with dad through his work here at the Loudoun Independent. The man could write well and he was always quick with a story or a good one-liner. He never felt that professionalism could be glossed over simply because it was a local paper covering mostly local news. My grandmother told a story about dad that I think says a lot. The boys were obliged to work during summers. One summer, my grandfather had gotten him a job hauling pulp wood. Apparently, the heavy labor under the summer Texas sun did not sit well with him. Dad came home exhausted and covered in sweat and told his mother that it was his intention to get a job where ``I have to wear a suit every day.'' Apparently, no one expects you to sweat when you're in a suit. That reporters wear suits must have played some part in his calculations. While his mother wanted him to be a preacher, he managed to avoid this while still maintaining her love and support. Dad graduated from Marshall High School and went on to earn his journalism degree at East Texas State University. ETSU is now affiliated with Texas A&M University and known as Texas A&M-Commerce. That my dad retroactively became an Aggie is an irony that only Texans will understand. After graduation, he went off to work at the San Angelo Standard-Times as a reporter. During this period, dad was drafted into the army. His active duty lasted for 18 months, where he served as a specialist at Fort Knox, Fort Hood, and Fort Carson. As a `soldier-of my acquaintance' recalled it, the closest he ever came to combat was throwing a stick at a passing helicopter. Dad stayed at the San Angelo Standard-Times for several years. During this time, he started dating another reporter at the paper--Shannon LaNelle Harris. The pair married and the marriage lasted for 44 years. Not long after they were married, the young couple adopted their first needlenose dog. As regular readers know, it was the first of many. From 1962-1972, dad worked for the Dallas Morning News. He was among the reporters to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. Later, he covered the appeals process of Jack Ruby. Originally a believer in the Warren Report and the single bullet theory, he was less certain as time went on. When asked about a conspiracy, he said `I just don't know.' In 1972, he became the Washington Bureau Chief for the Dallas Morning News, covering both state and national news until 1981. During this period, Dad covered the political scene in depth, being among the very first to break the story of President Richard Nixon's resignation. He covered both the Democratic and Republican conventions of 1976 and 1980, as well as the campaign trips of President George H.W. Bush and Howard Baker. After leaving the Dallas Morning News, he became administrative assistant to Congressman Abraham 'Chick' Kazen (D-TX) and later served as a speechwriter for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, serving closely with Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX). During this time, dad also began working as the Editor of the Loudoun Easterner, a small direct-mail newspaper in Loudoun County. He eventually retired from Washington to pursue this full-time. Very few people are able to do what they love for so long. Under his stewardship, the Loudoun Easterner gained a loyal following in Sterling and the surrounding areas. His unique perspective and humor made him a fixture in the county. Working with Publisher Beth Miller was a great experience for dad. The pair of them could be seen lunching every day and it is difficult to imagine closer friends. Her death was hard on everyone, but dad took it especially hard. Wounds heal though, and his relationship with Beth's daughters Amy and Allyson grew even stronger. In 2005, he and Amy Burns started up a new paper, the Loudoun Independent. Dad proved that he still had the skill to produce a first rate paper. My dad was diagnosed with skin cancer in March. By the time of the diagnosis, the cancer had already spread in the area of his neck and lymph nodes. While not immediately life threatening, treatment required a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. At no time was he in pain and dad went into work at the paper every day until almost the very end. Eventually the treatment weakened him enough so that his kidneys failed and the extra stress on his body made it impossible for him to recover from pneumonia and septic shock. Ever since I was a boy and my dad started working at the Easterner--and later the Loudoun Independent, we knew that he was not to be bothered on Mondays and Tuesdays. The paper goes to the printer on Wednesday morning, so you have to work until everything is done. My dad died on a Wednesday morning. I don't go much for symbolism in life, but I wonder at it. Tuesday is over and your labors are complete. On Wednesday, you can sleep in and rest--then get ready to start all over again. In retrospect I do feel blessed to have had John Geddie in my life for so long. More than that, I'm thankful for those last months we had together. Having been designated as his driver/companion for all medical trips, I was able to spend almost every day with him for the last three months. As people get older, sometimes they forget why they love their parents. Those last three months reminded me. Dad had something of a mantra when the conversation turned to his health or potential dangers. He'd raise his hand, tilt his head and say, ``Don't worry about me. I've had a good life.'' He said it in a light way, but something in his tone inevitably ended the conversation. While incredibly frustrating at the time, it's a comfort to us now. ____________________