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Congressional Daily Record
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June 22, 2026
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
of georgia
in the house of representatives
Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart, and with deep grdtitude, to honor the life and the lasting legacy of a beloved matriarch of Columbus, Georgia, Mrs. Mary Lizzie Pickett Quiller, known and loved by all who knew her simply as “Honey.” After a remarkable life that spanned a full century, Mrs. Quiller was called home to her reward on June 10, 2026, at the age of 100 years old.
gathered at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia—the very church home she faithfully served for more than 60 years—to celebrate her life and to lay her to rest. It is only right that this body, and this Nation, pause to remember a woman who gave 100 years of her life to her family, her faith, and her community.
Mrs. Quiller was born on September 15, 1925, in Bullock County, Alabama, one of seven children raised by their devoted mother, Georgie Pickett. Of those seven, she and her sister, Annie Watkins, were the last two who remained—and today, with Honey's passing, her sister carries on as the last leaf on that family tree.
Mr. Speaker, in the final season of her long life, Mrs. Quiller left her family a simple and humble request. She said: “Let the works I have done speak for me.” So, on the floor of this House today, I intend to honor that wish. I rise to let her works speak.
her time. By her own sister's loving account, Honey helped care for her siblings through all their childhood years—and she went right on caring for them even after their mother, Georgie, passed away. When the family needed someone to hold it together, she was the one who stepped forward. And that was the pattern of her entire life.
was not a quitter. She believed in bettering herself, and through hard work and quiet determination she did exactly that. Mary Quiller earned an Associate Degree in Business from Albany State, a Master of Cosmetology, and a tailoring certificate. She refused to let her beginnings set the limits of her life.
Let her works speak of a wife and a mother. She was the beloved wife of George Quiller and the devoted mother of two children, Jean and Jerry. And Mr. Speaker, I must pause here, because there is no heavier burden a parent can be asked to carry than to bury a child—and Mrs. Quiller knew that sorrow. for her beloved son, Jerry, preceded her in death. Yet somehow, by the grace of God, she kept right on standing, kept right on serving, and kept right on pouring her love into everyone around her. A heart that knew that depth of grief and still chose to give is a heart worthy of honor before this Nation. She is survived by her devoted daughter, Mary, her sister Annie Watkins, her grandson, Jeremy Quiller, her great grandchildren, and her great-great grandchild, who carried her name and her spirit forward.
Let her works speak of a faithful and tireless servant of God. For more than 60 years, Mrs. Quiller was an active member of Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church—the very sanctuary that will receive her home this Friday. She gave herself to that congregation in nearly every way a person can: as Assistant Superintendent of the Sunday School, as a Sunday School Teacher, as a member of the Choir, as a Cub Scout Leader shaping young boys, and as Mission President. Her church family saw clearly what kind of woman she was. They named her Woman of the Year back in the 1990s, and they lifted her up in honor once again in 2024.
Let her works speak of a true pillar of her community. In her neighborhood, the saying simply went that if you wanted something done, you called Mrs. Quiller. She was the one who got it done—and for that faithful service, she was presented the “Giving Your Best Award.” She also gave her time to the people of her city as a member of the Keep Columbus Beautiful Board. Her motto, plain and powerful, was to work every day at improving the quality of life—not only for herself, but for everyone around her.
Mr. Speaker, let her works speak of her character. Mary Quiller was a woman of unshakable honesty. If she believed you needed to hear a hard truth, she loved you enough to tell it to you—whether you wanted to hear it or not. And yet, when she did good for others, and she did a world of good, she never once advertised it. She gave in quiet. She helped in secret. She believed, too, that you do not chase after material things simply to keep up with the people around you; you live within your values, and you spend on what truly matters. Hers was a life of substance, never a life of show.
Mr. Speaker, the great Shirley Chisholm—the first Black woman ever to serve in this very House—once said that: “Service is the rent we pay for the space that we occupy here on this Earth.” By that measure, Mary “Honey” Quiller paid her rent in full, with interest. In the words of the old gospel hymn, ”She has paid her title clear.” For 100 years she served—her family, her church, and her community—and she asked for nothing in return.
Mr. Speaker, Mary Lizzie Pickett Quiller asked that her works speak for her. And oh, how they speak. They speak in the brothers and sisters she mothered. They speak in the students she taught and the scouts she led. They speak in the church she served for six decades, in the community she made more beautiful, and in the countless souls she lifted without ever once asking for the credit. Her works are speaking still—and they will go on speaking long after every one of us is gone.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join my wife Vivian and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's Second Congressional District in honoring the life and legacy of Mrs. Mary Lizzie Pickett Quiller. I extend my deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to her surviving daughter, Mary Quiller, her surviving sister, Annie Watkins; to her grandchildren; to her Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church family; and to the entire Columbus community that loved her so dearly and for so long. She was, in the truest sense of the word, a phenomenal woman, and we were blessed to share this Earth with her for 100 years.
works will keep right on speaking for her, just as she asked. May she rest in peace and may the God she served so faithfully for a century welcome her home with the words she earned: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”