[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2549-2550]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


  HONORING STEVEN AND KATHERINE DIEBERT AS THEY CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF 
                                MARRIAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 1, 2016

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Steven and 
Katherine Diebert on the celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary.
  Steven and Katherine Diebert were married on February 26, 1966 in 
Fresno, California. They met as young students at Roosevelt High School 
by the drinking fountain; however, their paths unknowingly had crossed 
as children in 1953 when Steven was one of Hopalong Cassidy's cowboy 
sidekicks at a Fresno department store called Coopers. Katherine's 
mother brought her to meet Hopalong Cassidy on that day, and little did 
she know that the boy by Hoppy's side would one day be her husband and 
that they would raise two beautiful daughters together.
  In December of 1965, Steven proposed to Katherine and they were 
joined in marriage on February 26, 1966 at the First Baptist Church in 
Fresno. Despite many opportunities to leave the Central Valley over the 
last 50 years, they chose to remain in Fresno and raised their family 
here. The highlight of their marriage have been their two daughters, 
Stephanie (along with her husband, Kenneth) and Melissa (along with her 
husband, Layne), who have blessed them with five grandchildren, Leo 
Stephen, Ari Benjamin, Kaitlin Jade, Ella Rose, and Harrison Steven.
  Steven Diebert was born on July 10, 1943 in Fresno, California to 
parents of Volga German descent, who were also born and raised in the 
San Joaquin Valley. Steven was a highly regarded football player at 
Roosevelt High School, where he proudly graduated from in 1961. 
Following high school, Steven attended Fresno State University where he 
graduated with a degree in Political Economy in 1966. Upon receiving 
his bachelor's degree, Steven went on to work for the Xerox Corporation 
where he worked for two years. In 1968, he returned to Fresno State to 
continue his education and received a graduate degree to become a 
Certified Public Accountant. Following graduate school, he worked for 
the national accounting firm Touche Ross and in 1975, he was appointed 
by then California Controller, Ken Cory, to serve as a California 
Probate Referee. Steven is regarded as one of the finest probate 
referees in California and has carefully developed a reputation as a 
straight shooter and as a man of great integrity.
  Katherine Diebert was born on November 6, 1944 in Fresno, California. 
Her parents were of Armenian, English and Irish decent and lived the 
majority of their lives in Fresno. Katherine graduated from Roosevelt 
High School in 1962 and went on to attend Fresno City College. In 1964, 
she began working in the medical administration and billing department 
at Fresno Medical Group. Katherine continued to work at Fresno Medical 
Group until she and Steven were blessed with their first daughter, 
Stephanie in 1971. Upon the birth of their second daughter, Melissa in 
1975, Katherine decided to take some time off of work to raise her 
children. In 1977 Katherine returned to work for Internal Medicine and 
Associates where she worked until her retirement in 2008. While, 
building a beautiful family and successful career, Katherine has 
maintained a beautiful home and has continued to keep a meticulous and 
stunning garden.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Steven and Katherine 
Diebert on their fifty years of marriage and may they be blessed with 
many more. They serve as a prime example to us all of what it means to 
be committed to strong family values.


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