Stenholm services set, condolence address released
By Jerry Hagstrom, The Hagstrom Report
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| A memorial service and celebration of life will be held for former Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Texas, on June 3 at the Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ericksdahl, Texas, his son Chris Stenholm told The Hagstrom Report today. Stenholm died Wednesday at the age of 84. “Whoever can make it will be welcome,” Chris Stenholm said, speaking of the church’s remote location two hours and 40 minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth airport or about an hour from the Abilene airport. |
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| The church was founded in 1906 by the Swedish immigrants who came to farm in west Texas. I visited the church when I went to his district. He also gave me a cap labeled “Swede Gin” in honor of the cooperative cotton gin the Swedish immigrants had founded. His son added that condolence messages can be sent to his mother Cindy Stenholm at 2420 Palmer Court, Granbury, TX 76048. Chris Stenholm said that on the last day of his life, his father enjoyed a Swedish breakfast of rye bread and a walk with his wife before sitting down in his chair to watch a farm program on TV. He died peacefully in his chair. On the sidelines of the subcommittee markup of the fiscal year 2024 agriculture appropriations bill this week, both Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., now the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, recalled traveling to his district, which was so different than their own and how much he taught them. Kaptur said she once went to meet with him in his office and found the television on. “What are you watching?,” Kaptur asked. “The weather,” Stenholm replied. Told that Stenholm died peacefully in front of the TV, Kaptur said, “I hope he was watching the weather.” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson. R-Pa., and David Scott, D-Ga., said in a statement, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of Congressman Charles Stenholm, a distinguished public servant who dedicated more than 26 years of his life to the people of Texas and the United States.” “Charlie had an intimate understanding of American agriculture and a lifelong commitment to supporting rural communities. He will be greatly missed by many. Our hearts go out to his wife Cindy and his family. They will be in our prayers.” Thompson and Scott noted, “Stenholm was a member of Congress from the state of Texas, serving in the House of Representatives from January 1979 to January 2005. He was the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee from January 1997 to January 2005 and served as a chair of several subcommittees during his many years of service to American agriculture.” The committee also released an October 2022 video interview in which Stenholm spoke about his time on the committee in celebration of its 200 year anniversary. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget noted that Stenholm had served on the committee for more than a decade. Maya MacGuineas, president of the committee, said, “Charlie Stenholm passionately defended the principles of bipartisanship and fiscal responsibility for more than a quarter-century in Congress. We were honored to have had such an invaluable and guiding voice here at the committee.” “His leadership on responsible budgeting while working across the aisle earned him high praise. Charlie’s work on a constitutional amendment to balance the budget received national acclaim as the most honest, pragmatic, and fair proposal on the table. He was as fierce a fiscal champion as he was a friend to those he served alongside. “All of us at the committee are saddened by the passing of such a tireless public servant and a kind and decent friend,” MacGuineas said. “We will miss Charlie dearly.” |
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