We made a bit of a trek yesterday. Well, more than a bit. We got up at around 4 a.m. and headed to
Arlington for a funeral. Marceil Moore,
a truly wonderful lady, died of cancer complications. We knew her way back in the early 80’s when I
was on staff at South Oaks Baptist Church in Arlington.
And as is the typical case at such
funerals, we had quite a family reunion from those days of the early 80’s. Bruce and Cindy Edwards were there. He was the pastor back then, and he assisted current
pastor Dan Curry in the service. But
here’s a rundown of some of the others, just for nostalgia’s sake:
Of course Gary Moore was there. Marceil and Gary were the perfect couple. He was always wacky and loud and boisterous. She was quiet and had a dry wit that was impossible to surpass. And then she put on her clown costume and joined Gary in the craziness. A.J. and Ella Stewart, Marceil’s parents. A.J. was dubbed “The Godfather,” partly because he had had throat surgery, so his voice was always just above a whisper, but also because he owned his own business and was quite successful. Ella was the one who rocked every baby in the nursery at some time or other.
Wes and Debbie Holmes. Wes was our very first accountant back
then. I realized early on that I wouldn’t
be able to handle this whole pastor’s tax stuff. He was certainly a God-send. Ron Walker was our first real insurance
agent. He was quite impressive as a
deacon and financial planner as well.
Still follow his daughter Janna’s exploits on FaceBook. Jeff and Sybil Rampy were there, too. Jeff later took on my tax preparation burden
and would still be doing them today if hadn’t retired. Sybil was the originator of the world-renowned
Swim with Syb outfit that taught our boys how to swim. Even the one who was petrified of water
because of a previous debacle involving an incompetent teacher at a YMCA. You can try to guess which boy that was.
Lisa Pollard was one of our all-time
favorite surrogate moms for the boys.
She loved to cuddle with them, not to mention the fact that she was just
plain fun to be around. Bob and Bea
Bryant. Bob was our boys’ first
barber. He was old school, too. One of the last to still have the old razor
strap and put wet towels on your face before a shave. He was also an incredible Sunday School
director. Bea was just, well,
sweet. Still is. Larry and Nancy McSpadden. Larry jumped in with Bob and became a second
Sunday school director when we added a Sunday school hour to the mix. Gary and Marjorie Laymance. I remember Marjorie because she was so easy
to embarrass. All I had to do was holler
her name as loud as I could whenever I saw her.
Howard and Sue Schutt. Sue was an
elementary school teacher in the gifted and talented program that Kel was
in. Howard became the first pastor of a mission
we started.
George and Leslie Tabor. George was famous
for writing something without a pad underneath it and actually making imprints
into Chris’ dining room table. He was
also involved in getting me a recliner after my first neck surgery when I couldn’t
lie flat. Russell and Merla Cook. Russell makes hammered dulcimers. And hearing him play one is just amazing. Steve and Susan Jones. Steve was one of the R.A. instructors who
worked with the boys. Susan was one of the
children’s music people. Both awesome,
of course. Doug Davis provided us with
the mini-blinds in our Mansfield house. Jerry
Wyatt had a son named Joshua Michael who was born just weeks apart from our
Joshua Michael. That proved challenging for
the moms when they tried to call them down for running in the church. Linda Satterfield is another I have seen often
on FaceBook. She posts her morning talks
with Jesus over a cup of coffee.
Mike and Celia Philpot. Mike was the ultimate behind the scenes guy,
always doing something for widows in the church. Can’t get much more biblical than that. They have a house in Galveston now. Can’t wait until they really retire and move
down here. Debbie McMullen had twins, a
boy and a girl. Debbie did a great job as
a single Mom before that was the “thing to do.”
Debbie Millican had a daughter who was among those Josh’s age. We thought they might have had a chance, but
it’s hard to predict things like that when a kid is eight years old. Rob and Kristi Henderson. They were one of the up-and-coming young
couples who have become quite the leaders now.
Kevin and Mari Killian. We have seen them a time or in the years
since. Renee Goodwin is a band director
now. I remember when she began dating
her husband Dave. Vernon Nelson, her
Dad, became quite influential at the church as well. Bryant Colley. His daughter Arica still keeps in touch with
Chris, who was her G.A. teacher for years.
Mozelle Spray was one who befriended Mom when we were relocated for
several months after Hurricane Ike.
There were several others who expressed sorrow about Mom’s death. I have to mention the “youngsters” we
saw. At least they were youngsters in
the 80’s. Kathryn Sellers and her
brother Jason Howard, and NovaLee Bulin.
Rick and Rebecca Sales. Great folks here. Rick was a great inspiration to Kel, in
particular. He is a Spiderman fan and an
incredible artist. He provided theme art
for countless youth mission trips and camps and DiscipleNow weekends over the
years, even when we were in Denver. And I
would have loved for our boys to have experienced Becca as a teacher. Mona Smith and her husband Dave loaned us their
camper after Ike. Dave is a paramedic
and Mona is one of the most fun people I have ever been around. We spent a lot of time with Blair and Patti
Jones this time. They are some of those
friends you know you can call on even if you haven’t seen them in ten
years. They opened their homes not just
to some Seasiders after a hurricane, but to their animals as well. Now that’s memorable. Cary and KayLynn Winkle have remained friends
who we keep in touch with regularly.
They adopted Josh and Christi and their boys, and have served as
surrogate grandparents when we couldn’t be around. I guess if we can trust them with our
children, they must be pretty special folks.
I’m sure there were a few others we saw who
I didn’t mention, but this has already become an unwieldy blog post. It is obvious there were more than a few
folks who have made an impact on our lives.
But then, that’s what the church does.
Thank you to all of you. We love
you.
Acts 2:42-47 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with
awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the
believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions
and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet
together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together
with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the
people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Father, walk with Gary and A.J. and Ella
and all of their family through their journey ahead. Welcome Mr. Gary’s “My Girl” into your
presence. Amen.
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