[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5455-5456]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN MEMORY OF DELORES A. PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2012

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise 
today to pay tribute to the late Delores A. Parks, a woman who spent 
her entire life tirelessly caring for her community. Mrs. Parks passed 
away in her sleep on Sunday, April 15, 2012. She was 77.
  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ``Everybody can be 
great, because everybody can serve.'' Mrs. Parks was blessed with many 
gifts and talents, but her greatness came from her dedication to the 
community. She is truly a hero of mine. Mrs. Parks was a generous, 
warmhearted and loving woman who always went the extra mile to support 
her neighbors.
  I know the difference one person can make because I am a witness to 
the impact of Mrs. Parks' extraordinary career of service to others on 
the lives of ordinary boys and girls and men and women. There is much 
wisdom in the ancient proverb that says if you catch a person a fish, 
you feed him for a day; if you teach a person to fish, you will feed 
her for a lifetime. Mrs. Parks was a great lady but what makes her 
truly special is her commitment to serving others altered for the good 
the trajectory of thousands of lives.
  Mrs. Parks first answered the call to serve as a daycare provider, a 
field she worked in for 53 years. She later founded the Compton Family 
Day Care Association, which provided instruction to others on how to 
become daycare providers. She took pride and much joy in her work, 
offering meals to the children and their families and planning sporting

[[Page 5456]]

events, field trips, and church activities. Her hard work and 
joyfulness undoubtedly transformed the lives of these young children 
and her community as a whole.
  Faith and love for the Lord played a large and constant role in Mrs. 
Parks' life. She was raised as a devout Catholic, and she later became 
a licensed missionary for the First Church of Deliverance under the 
late Elder O.D. Russell. In 1997, she became a member of King's 
Dominion Life Center under the leadership of her son-in-law, Bishop 
T.A. Moore.
  When remembering the life of Mrs. Parks, I cannot help but call to 
mind this scripture: ``Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the 
children of God'' (Matthew 5:8-9). Truer words were never spoken. Mrs. 
Parks reflected these words in her manner and deeds, and she served as 
an example of the selflessness and kindness we should all strive to 
display in our own lives.
  Mrs. Parks was preceded in death by her loving husband of 38 years, 
Willie M. Parks, and by her daughter, Katrina E. White. Left to cherish 
her memory are her children Emerson Mims, Parris Parks, and Donna Moore 
(Bishop T.A.); grandchildren Huber White, Eboni Galloway, Ferrante 
Manning, and Breana Moore; great grandchildren Kameron White, Huber 
White, Kutura White, Akhella White, and Taylor Bibbs; brothers Carl 
McDonald and Rickey McDonald; and a multitude of relatives, neighbors, 
and friends.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my sympathies to Mrs. Parks' family. 
My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time. They 
have lost a beloved mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great 
grandmother. The community Mrs. Parks served for more than a half 
century mourns the loss of a hero. I mourn the loss of a dear friend 
and role model.
  On this sad occasion, I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in 
a moment of silence to honor the memory of Mrs. Delores A. Parks.

                          ____________________