[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 549]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING JOHN ``JACK'' EDWARD BRESCH

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life, legacy 
and service of a dear friend--John Edward Bresch. Jack lead a life 
filled with compassion. He worked tirelessly for everyone to have 
access to affordable, quality health care, especially needy children 
and families. His heart was as big as heaven.
  But Jack's life was also a life of great humor. Anybody who knew him 
also knew his warm and infectious laugh. It was a sure sign that Jack 
was somewhere nearby because you could almost hear his laughter before 
you saw his face. And everybody was glad to see Jack coming their way. 
He truly never met a stranger.
  Sadly, we won't be able to hear that distinct laughter again. Jack 
passed away on September 1, 2012, surrounded by his family after a 
brief and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. From the moment of 
his fateful diagnosis until the day he left us, we saw in him grace and 
courage, dignity and humility, joy and, yes, laughter--and so much love 
and gratitude lived out on a daily basis that, even in our sorrow, his 
memory will never be lost.
  Tomorrow, Jack will be laid to rest in our Nation's most hallowed 
ground--Arlington National Cemetery--with full military honors as a 
decorated Naval Lieutenant who served as a Chaplain during the Vietnam 
war.
  In his life, Jack Bresch was many things but above all, a family man, 
devoted to his wife, JoAnn; his children, Mary Elizabeth, James 
Richard, and Jeffrey John; and 10 grandchildren on whom he doted. He 
also leaves behind countless friends and colleagues whose lives are 
enriched with memories of this gregarious, energetic, larger-than-life 
man. But when a loved one is gone, it is often the little things you 
remember most. Some of us will remember how much Jack loved neckties. 
Some of us will remember sharing Jack's favorite drink--a Manhattan, 
made with Maker's Mark, up, no bitters, with a twist of orange. Some of 
us will remember how often Jack quoted the 19th century German 
politician Otto von Bismark--``Politics is the art of the possible.'' 
And some of us will remember how proud Jack was to be at the White 
House when President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act for which he 
worked so tirelessly. A friend saw Jack on TV and sent him a text to 
let him know, and Jack texted back, ``Just a pleasure to be here.''
  It was a pleasure for Jack to be anywhere. Simply put, Jack enjoyed 
being with people, and people enjoyed being with Jack. He was a great 
person to talk to--probably because he began his adult life as a Roman 
Catholic priest. Jack was a priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, his 
native city, from 1966 to 1974. In 1968, at the height of the Vietnam 
war, he entered the U.S. Navy and served as a Navy and Marine Corps 
Chaplain in posts around the world. During his time in the service, he 
supervised drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and worked as a 
liaison with the American Red Cross. After the war, Jack left the 
priesthood. But in some ways, he never stopped being a chaplain, in the 
sense that he never wavered from his steadfast belief in social 
justice. He carried that belief forward in career that made the world a 
better place--working for Congress, the Federal Government, the 
Illinois Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association, and the 
American Dental Education Association. Many members of Congress got to 
know Jack through his work as the lead lobbyist for the Catholic Health 
Association. They also learned quickly just how hard it was to say 
``no'' to Jack.
  While at the Catholic Health Association, Jack worked closely with 
then First Lady Hillary Clinton and the White House to develop a plan 
for reforming the Nation's health care system. While at the American 
Dental Education Association, he was instrumental in improving access 
to dental care for needy children. For more than a decade, he worked 
diligently to ensure that policymakers understood the value of oral 
health to overall health--the reason why he was invited to the White 
House for the signing of the Affordable Care Act. Jack lived long 
enough to see the Supreme Court uphold key portions of the Affordable 
Care Act. He knew the law wasn't perfect, but he was happy to see it 
move forward. Remember, he believed that ``politics is the art of the 
possible.''
  To JoAnn and Jack's entire family, my wife Gayle and I extend our 
deepest sympathy because we are part of that family. Jack and I shared 
four of his 10 grandchildren, but he lent all the rest of them to me, 
too. It is hard to think of this world without Jack being a part of it, 
making us laugh--and hearing him laugh--and making us care--the way he 
cared.
  There is a wonderful anonymous quote which may well describe how we 
should think of Jack's passing, especially since he served so 
courageously in the Navy. It offers great comfort to those who grieve. 
And it goes something like this:

       I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads 
     her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue 
     ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand 
     and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of 
     white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle 
     with each other. Then someone at my side says, ``There! She's 
     gone.''
       Gone where? Gone from my sight--that is all. She is just as 
     large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my 
     side, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to 
     the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not 
     in her, and just at the moment when someone at my side says, 
     ``There, she's gone,''--there are other eyes watching her 
     coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, 
     ``There she comes!''

  Jack Bresch was a man whose optimism could overwhelm any doubter and 
whose joy for life was wonderfully contagious and completely 
irresistible. The ancient poets tell us that ``one must wait until the 
evening to see how splendid the day has been.'' Our day with Jack 
Bresch was splendid indeed.
  As we prepare to honor Jack with the military honors due a decorated 
Navy Chaplain, I would like to end my tribute to Jack's life with a 
traditional nautical blessing and wish my dear friend ``fair winds and 
following seas.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Tennessee is 
recognized.

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