[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 26622-26623]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO EVA MAE HARDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 3, 2009

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to 
the life and legacy of the late Ms. Eva Mae Harden. It is with both 
profound sadness, but also an enduring sense of gratitude that I 
recognize her for the tremendous inspiration she provided to the South 
Florida community.
  Ms. Harden was born on March 15, 1914, in Leesburg County, Georgia to 
the late Charlie and Roxie Brown. She later married the late Fletcher 
Harden. Once Ms. Harden relocated to Miami, Florida in 1951, she began 
her journey through traveling with the church and crossing the border 
of many foreign countries.
  She remarried her husband Fletcher Harden in 1981 and the two 
celebrated their Golden Anniversary in the same church she diligently 
served in for 60 years. Moreover, Ms. Harden served on the Deaconess 
Board, the Board of Missions and the Senior Saints at Bethel Full 
Gospel Baptist Church. She was relentless when it came to giving to the 
church, and she paid her tithes and offerings throughout her 60 years 
of membership.
  Ms. Harden was blessed with a loving family who took pleasure in 
every aspect of her life and her interests. I offer my heartfelt 
condolences to her five children and a total of 135

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grandchildren; great grandchildren; great, great grandchildren; and 
great, great, great grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and all the members of this esteemed 
legislative body to join me in recognizing the extraordinary life of 
Ms. Eva Mae Harden. She will be missed by all who knew her, and I 
appreciate this opportunity to pay tribute to her before the United 
States House of Representatives. While she will indeed be missed, her 
legacy, as well as the outstanding contributions she made to Bethel 
Full Gospel Baptist Church will live on.

                          ____________________