[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 49-50]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         MEMORIES OF DAVID KATZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. E. SCOTT RIGELL

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 17, 2012

  Mr. RIGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter a statement into the 
Record on behalf of my constituent, Sam Katz. Mr. Katz asked me to 
enter the following remarks into the Record in remembrance of his 
father, David Katz. Mr. Katz's statement follows:

       Today, we mourn the loss of a great man; a man who to us 
     was simply known and loved as, ``Daddy.''
       Daddy was first and foremost a loving, caring, and 
     dedicated husband for nearly 59 years to the wonderful lady 
     we simply know and love as, ``Mommy.'' Daddy's love and 
     support for Mommy is something every man should learn from.
       We could not have asked for a more loving and dedicated 
     father. Always a father, he was also our mentor, teacher, and 
     when necessary, a friend. We were deeply blessed with a very 
     peaceful and loving family life with two wonderful parents. 
     We always believed our parents' love for each other was 
     strong. However, throughout Daddy's illnesses this past year, 
     it became beautifully and painfully clear that their marriage 
     was sustained by true and genuine love. There were times in 
     the hospital and in care facilities when Mommy would go to 
     extremes just to give Daddy a kiss because it meant so much 
     to her, and for as long as we can remember, Mommy was the 
     glimmer in Daddy's eyes. This was not a marriage that lasted 
     out of convenience or for the sake of their four children. 
     This beautiful and long marriage endured better, worse, 
     richer, poorer, sickness and health, and was still parted 
     only by death.
       We never heard a cross word spoken between Mommy and Daddy, 
     and never even heard them call each other by their first 
     names. Everyone should be so fortunate!
       Growing up was a lot of fun. We went on regular summer 
     vacations. Daddy traveled quite a bit and at times, would 
     take one or

[[Page 50]]

     more of us with him on the road. We traveled to family Bar 
     and Bat Mitzvahs and spent as much time as possible together 
     as a family.
       Family dinners were very important to Daddy. We would wait 
     for him to come home from work and the entire family would 
     have dinner together and talk about our day. We spent 
     evenings together watching our 19" black and white TV in the 
     family room--the only TV in the house. This was very 
     important to Mommy and Daddy. We didn't have TVs in our 
     bedrooms and our parents didn't hide away in theirs watching 
     TV.
       There were lots of great moments that probably weren't so 
     great for Daddy, such as: us kids learning to drive or taking 
     apart cars in the garage. Through it all, Daddy was always a 
     dedicated father with our best interests in his sights. He 
     genuinely wanted each of us to succeed and to be our best.
       Daddy lived his life the proudest man in the world. He 
     always bragged about Mommy and us four children; he treasured 
     the fact that we remained close through our adult lives. As 
     we got older, each of us children chose a career path and 
     moved out on our own. We stayed in touch and enjoyed many 
     family gatherings where we grew up in Williamsville, NY, in 
     New Jersey and for the past 17 years, in Chesapeake, 
     Virginia. At times, we (the kids) would stay up all night 
     talking and having fun. About the only thing that has changed 
     over the years is that now we sometimes stay up as late as 
     ten p.m.
       Thanksgiving has always been a very special time for all of 
     us to unite, and this past year was no different. It meant 
     the world to Daddy to be home and with his family. With his 
     health declining before our eyes over Thanksgiving weekend, 
     he remained that proud and wonderful man: the Daddy that we 
     all loved. We are all very proud to have given him this gift, 
     and are convinced this time together has made his journey 
     from this earth more peaceful.
       Daddy's other loves: classical music and photography. Born 
     of two concert musicians, he studied piano at the age of 
     three, violin at five, and once arriving in the United 
     States, composition at one of the finest music conservatories 
     in New York. He performed under the batons of some of the 
     greatest conductors in the world. While Daddy's ears are 
     probably still ringing from the blasting rock and roll sounds 
     from our teenage bedrooms, classical music of some fashion 
     has touched all of our lives over the years. Daddy peacefully 
     passed with classical music playing in his room.
       A self-taught accomplished photographer, his one-person 
     shows over the years were awe-inspiring and his natural 
     creativity will never be duplicated. Those that share his 
     passion for photography will never forget the lessons learned 
     from him over many years. Thankfully, he was also the kindest 
     critic.
       In closing: Daddy didn't talk a lot about being a Holocaust 
     survivor while we were growing up. We would get ``sound 
     bites.'' For example, when we would ask him to drive us 
     somewhere close, he would respond with: ``I walked 500 miles 
     to the Swiss border when I was your age.'' We had no idea it 
     was really true.
       Over the years, we started to understand a little more 
     about his survival, but he was never willing to document it. 
     Thankfully, when he retired, he took the time, and now his 
     story has been published in several books including a 
     wonderful autobiography. His story is also presented in 
     several Holocaust documentaries and with the Shoah 
     Foundation.
       Daddy was well known throughout the Tidewater community as 
     he regularly spoke about his Holocaust years at schools, 
     military installations, and many other organizations. His 
     story will live on for those that will never have the 
     opportunity to meet the great man, Daddy.

                          ____________________