Floor SpeechNeutral2026-07-21

HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ELLEN MARIE IKE

Education

Context

On 2026-07-21, Representative Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY-25) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ELLEN MARIE IKE" in the House.

Full Text

HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ELLEN MARIE IKE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E721-E722] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ELLEN MARIE IKE ______ HON. JOSEPH D. MORELLE of new york in the house of representatives Tuesday, July 21, 2026 Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and service of Ellen Marie Ike--more commonly known on Capitol Hill as Ms. Ellen--a Lead Teacher at the House of Representatives Child Care Center, who tragically passed away on June 13, 2026, at the age of 61. For nearly a decade, Ms. Ellen cared for children from across the Capitol Hill community. Members and staff left their sons and daughters with her in the morning and went to work on the people's business, secure in the knowledge that their children were safe and loved. She returned that trust every day and was recognized repeatedly for the excellence of her service. A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Ms. Ellen earned a scholarship to Livingstone College in North Carolina, where she sang in the Concert Choir and joined the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Her career began in retail, but her years teaching Sunday school made clear that early childhood education was her calling. After operating her own home-based daycare and teaching at other schools across the Washington metropolitan area, she joined the House Child Care Center in 2018, where she remained until her death. An early childhood teacher shapes a person at the age when shaping matters most. Ms. Ellen spent the last nine years of her life doing that work in the shadow of the Capitol, for the families of the people who serve here--much of it through a serious illness she rarely let her classroom see. Hundreds of children learned their letters, self-worth, and what it means to be a friend from a teacher who gave them her best while fighting for her own health. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Ellen Marie Ike, and in extending our condolences to her family and to her colleagues at the House Child Care Center, who carry on her work. [[Page E722]] ____________________

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HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ELLEN MARIE IKE Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E721-E722] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ELLEN MARIE IKE ______ HON. JOSEPH D. MORELLE of new york in the house of representatives Tuesday, July 21, 2026 Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and service of Ellen Marie Ike--more commonly known on Capitol Hill as Ms. Ellen--a Lead Teacher at the House of Representatives Child Care Center, who tragically passed away on June 13, 2026, at the age of 61. For nearly a decade, Ms. Ellen cared for children from across the Capitol Hill community. Members and staff left their sons and daughters with her in the morning and went to work on the people's business, secure in the knowledge that their children were safe and loved. She returned that trust every day and was recognized repeatedly for the excellence of her service. A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Ms. Ellen earned a scholarship to Livingstone College in North Carolina, where she sang in the Concert Choir and joined the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Her career began in retail, but her years teaching Sunday school made clear that early childhood education was her calling. After operating her own home-based daycare and teaching at other schools across the Washington metropolitan area, she joined the House Child Care Center in 2018, where she remained until her death. An early childhood teacher shapes a person at the age when shaping matters most. Ms. Ellen spent the last nine years of her life doing that work in the shadow of the Capitol, for the families of the people who serve here--much of it through a serious illness she rarely let her classroom see. Hundreds of children learned their letters, self-worth, and what it means to be a friend from a teacher who gave them her best while fighting for her own health. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Ellen Marie Ike, and in extending our condolences to her family and to her colleagues at the House Child Care Center, who carry on her work. [[Page E722]] ____________________