June 19, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 103 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H4777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE OF PATRICIA FINDER-STONE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a 
remarkable woman and a remarkable Wisconsinite, Patricia Finder-Stone. 
She was simply incredible: a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an 
educator, a veteran, and a community activist. Her life serves as an 
example of what it really means to be passionately involved in a 
community and committed to giving back.
  During the Korean war, she left her nursing job in Chicago to serve 
her country in the Air Force where she proudly served at the Northeast 
Air Command in Greenland, and upon leaving the military, she married 
her husband, Mark, and raised their four children in northeast 
Wisconsin.
  Pat then returned to school and received her bachelor's degree from 
the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and her master's from UW-Madison, 
graduating both times with honors.
  She practiced nursing throughout her life and spread her passion for 
nursing to others by teaching at schools around Wisconsin including 
Bellin College of Nursing and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. 
She was well known and incredibly involved in the healthcare community 
and was a proud recipient of both the American Cancer Society's St. 
George National Award and the NWTC Teacher of the Year Award.

  Beyond her nursing career, Pat was an active community volunteer, 
sharing her time and talents to serve on the boards of multiple health 
advocacy groups in northeast Wisconsin.
  She worked with both Democrat and Republican leadership in Wisconsin 
on a number of health policy issues, including educating the public on 
the negative effects of tobacco and improving care for the aging 
population.
  She served as the president of the League of Women Voters of Greater 
Green Bay and sat on the state board of the League of Women Voters.
  Pat's extraordinary life of service to her family, community, and 
country reminds us all of the importance of community engagement and 
civic responsibility. Pat's passing will be mourned for many across 
northeast Wisconsin, and her impact on our community will not soon be 
forgotten. But my hope is her life stands as a reminder of how 
important it is to be involved and how lucky we all are to be 
Americans.
  There are a lot of people when you are a Member of Congress who come 
into your office. Some are angry with you, some are happy with you, but 
some really find a way past the political moment and find a way to 
touch your heart, and Pat was one of those people. My prayers and 
condolences go out to her family and to all the lives she has touched.

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