[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16210]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO GORDON AND JILL MARTENS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 24, 2013

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Gordon and Jill 
Martens of Van Meter, Iowa and to commend them on the momentous 
occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.
  Mr. and Mrs. Martens have been proud to call Dallas County home for 
their entire lives. Gordon and Jill both attended Van Meter High School 
and began dating after graduation. On October 26th, 1963, Mr. and Mrs. 
Martens exchanged vows at Booneville United Methodist in Booneville, 
Iowa and began their lives together.
  Together, Gordon, a veteran of the Iowa Air National Guard, and Jill, 
a Registered Nurse, raised two children, Daniel and Valerie, who have 
given them five grandchildren. They now reside in Van Meter after 
building a home in 2007 on the farm where Gordon was raised.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. and Mrs. Martens' lifelong commitments to each 
other, their family, and their state truly embody the values Iowans are 
renowned for and it is a great honor to represent them in the United 
States Congress. I invite my colleagues in the House to join me in 
congratulating this wonderful couple on their 50th year of life 
together and I wish them many more years of happiness in the future.

                          ____________________