[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5131]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN MEMORY OF MARY LaRAE RICHTER

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in memory of Mary LaRae 
Richter.
  Everybody knew her as ``Rae'' in the Chico, California, and northern 
California area. She was a truly inspiring woman who left a deep, 
lasting impact on her family, on the community of Chico, and on all who 
knew her. I knew her very well for quite a few years. She was a very, 
very sweet lady, indeed.
  Born in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, Rae was an 
exceptional student and a joyful daughter who was no stranger to hard 
work. Her first job was behind a soda fountain in a drug store in order 
to help support her family.
  She married her husband, Bernie, in 1953 after they met in high 
school. Their marriage lasted for 46 years until Bernie passed away. Of 
course, with Bernie's having been a political figure, including in the 
State legislature, she played a very supportive role in that endeavor, 
which was sometimes an arduous one, but she always had the right thing 
to say, including, ``Oh, Bernard,'' when, maybe, things were getting a 
little out of control.
  Bernie and Rae moved with their three children up to Chico in the 
1960s. Rae poured her heart into her town and into her community and 
into her family-owned businesses while always making time to volunteer 
for the students just across the street at the Rosedale Elementary 
School. Rae fought valiantly with Parkinson's disease since 1998, and 
she displayed courage and joy even in that battle.
  Being that supportive wife, a loving mom and grandmother, a joyful 
business manager, and a good friend to many, she will be greatly missed 
by all who knew her in northern California.

                          ____________________