[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26784]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO MARY SHAFER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 4, 2009

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, today I wish to pay tribute to a beloved 
philanthropist from my district and one of the most selfless and 
kindhearted persons I have ever known.
  Mary Shafer recently passed away after battling breast cancer for 14 
years. During that prolonged fight she never lost her faith in God and 
tirelessly continued her charity work.
  With her husband Bo--who served as the President of Kiwanis 
International from 2000-2001--Mary traveled all over the World helping 
the indigent. Her compassion and service had no boundaries. Bo and Mary 
believed their work with Kiwanis was a privilege, not a duty, and they 
left an immeasurable mark on more people than can be counted.
  Mary's most passionate cause was providing clean drinking water to 
people in developing countries. Many people admirably serve their 
community or donate money to charity, but it takes a very special and 
resilient person to perform such challenging work in some of the 
World's most impoverished places.
  Closer to home, Mary also served numerous other causes and served on 
or chaired the boards of many agencies like the Volunteer Mission 
Center, the United Way, and the Florence Crittenton Agency.
  Bo recently told the Knoxville News Sentinel following Mary's passing 
that he was head-over-heels in love with her, and, ``We never had an 
argument. Her goal in life was to keep a smile on my face, and my goal 
in life was to keep a smile on her face.''
  Mary was very active in the Second Presbyterian Church in Knoxville 
and a devout Christian. According to her family, her last words were, 
``Thank you, Lord Jesus. I had a great time.''
  Even in the face of such a lengthy and difficult illness, Mary 
thanked her creator for all the blessings in her life. For Mary, He had 
a special purpose, and although the Lord decided to call her home, she 
will not be forgotten by all those she knew and comforted.
  Madam Speaker, the passing of Mary Shafer is a tremendous loss for my 
district, her husband, Bo, and her countless family and friends. I call 
her service and faith in God to the attention of my Colleagues and 
other readers of the Record and thank her for being a shining example 
to us all.

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