[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4097]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DAMIAN MURRIEL

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                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. 
Damian Murriel.
  It sounds strange, but owning and operating a funeral home has been a 
childhood dream for Mr. Damian Murriel--at least it has been ever since 
he started working in the business.
  Damian Murriel began his first job in a funeral home at the age of 
16. Then a sophomore in high school, Damian Murriel performed various 
custodial services at Cook's Funeral Home. When he graduated from 
Forest Hill High School in 1994 he left for Gupton-Jones School of 
Mortuary Science. Two years later after he completed his schooling and 
became a licensed funeral director and embalmer, he began traveling, 
doing internships and apprenticeships in other states, including brief 
stints in Illinois and Indiana. In 2000 he left for a job as funeral 
director of Gregory B. Levett and Sons Funeral Home in Atlanta, 
Georgia, where the wake for TLC's Lisa `Left Eye' Lopes was held.
  On April 17, 2003 Damian Murriel's life-long dream to own and operate 
a funeral home became a reality. ``I never lost sight of what I was 
pursuing.'' Damian Murriel said. ``I want to clean up the area and 
enhance the community with the funeral home.'' Murriel said. Murriel's 
motto is: ``Serving Families in Their Time of Need.'' He is a member of 
the Mississippi Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.

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