[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 29043]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF MR. RHYS LEWIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and mourn the 
extraordinary life of Rhys Lewis upon his passing at the age of 83.
  Born on May 13, 1924, Rhys Lewis dedicated his life to serving 
others. As a United States Marine Corps sergeant during World War II, 
Rhys served in the South Pacific and fought to defend the liberty of 
Americans and all humanity. His tour of duty included seeing combat on 
Iwo Jima, where he demonstrated his unfaltering honor and valor. 
Following his return home in 1947, Rhys married his beloved Ruth and 
continued his service to our Nation. An active church member, Rhys was 
ultimately elected to and entrusted with numerous positions of 
governmental and civic trust.
  He served as a Republican precinct delegate, a Redford Township 
trustee, a Redford Civil Affairs chairman, the chairman of the Redford 
Republican Party, as a member of the Michigan Republican State 
Committee, and a 1980 Bush delegate to the national convention.
  Regrettably, on October 27, 2007, Rhys Lewis passed from this earthly 
world to his eternal reward. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Lewis, 
his children, Arthur Lewis and Charlotte Wirth, his grandchildren, 
Kathryn Ostreko, David R. Wirth and Jeffrey Lewis, and his great 
grandchild, Jack Ostreko. A courageous and honorable man, Rhys will be 
sorely missed.
  Mr. Speaker, Rhys Lewis is remembered as a compassionate father, a 
dedicated husband, a leader, a soldier and a friend. Today, as we bid 
Rhys farewell, I ask my colleagues to join me in mourning his passing 
and honoring the unwavering patriotism and legendary service to our 
country and community of this fine American.
  And I would be remiss if I did not add what I believe encapsulates 
the essence of the man. Early in my tenure as a Member of Congress, I 
was honored to be asked to participate in a ceremony where Rhys Lewis 
was honored for his commitment to our Nation and his service as a 
member of the Greatest Generation of World War II. We had to work with 
his wife, Ruth, because Rhys, an honorable man, was not a proud man. 
And so when we surprised him at the VFW that day with the medals that 
he had earned, he was stunned. Part of him seemed to be surprised that 
people had remembered his service to our Nation in its crucible of 
liberty, and the other part of him was deeply, deeply concerned that he 
was being singled out for what he and so many other fine young 
Americans had done to preserve the freedoms we now hold.
  That was the man that we honor today. That is the man whose example I 
believe we should ever cherish and ever emulate.

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