WASHINGTON – Congressman Adam H. Putnam (FL-12) made the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives in honor of Tillie Fowler.

“I thank my friend and colleague from Jacksonville and the successor to Tillie Fowler's great 4th District in Florida. And I appreciate the opportunity that you have given us all to share our feelings and our remembrances of this lovely woman. And I think how sad it is that we so often save our kindest words for those that we love and care so deeply for until it is too late.

“It is an honor to pay tribute today to a great Floridian, a woman who touched so many lives, including my own, and dedicated herself to making our State and our Nation a better place.
Congresswoman Tillie Fowler was a remarkable woman. She was an inspiration to us all, and she sought to bring out the very best in each and every American. Her optimism was contagious, as she brought a sunny disposition to the greatest of tasks and backed it up with a steel will.

“Tillie was a public servant, in the truest sense of the word, who not only served her community in the Sunshine State but also her Nation. In the 8 years she spent in the halls of Congress, she earned a reputation as one of the hardest-working and most effective Members of this House. 

“After leaving this House, her service continued. In fact, I think it is a testimony to her abilities that some of her greatest challenges were given to her after she had retired from the House, as through her service she continued to support a strong and modern military through her chairmanship of the Defense Policy Board and every other difficult task that the Secretary could pass her way.

“We all mourn the loss of Tillie Fowler. Her distinguished leadership and grace will be dearly missed and her accomplishments and her legacy will be with us always. Tillie blessed our Nation through her hard work and her generous nature. My thoughts and prayers are with her family, her husband, Buck, and her two daughters, Tillie and Elizabeth. May we all be worthy of the honor that she bestowed upon this House, and may we all work hard to maintain and to follow that blazing trail which she cut through for us.”