Monday, October 25, 2021
Alice was the kind of person who could bring people together to make good things happen—and she did. Alice was a doer. She walked the walk and she used her powers for good. I was recently concerned about an elderly neighbor who seemed to need a little extra help in their home. My mom commented that it was for this kind of thing that Alice and she created a group called FISH—Friends In Service Here—back in the ‘70s. I think the name says it all. Long before other programs arrived, they were allowed to use a public dispatch line to provide help where it was needed. II Corinth. 9:7
A few years later, as a parent and for a time as director of Christian Education at the First Presbyterian Church of Brockport, Alice was part of a dedicated group that ran a mid-week after-school Youth Club for kids in 3rd through 8th grade. There were crafts, music, easy service projects like making cards for people, and a shared dinner that closed with old-fashioned campfire Christian sing-alongs. It was a safe, fun space, and (I imagine-) a break for families, too. We kids took it all for granted, as kids do; but looking back, I realize how many cheerful volunteers must have come together to make it happen, week after week. Mark 9:37. Youth Club shaped some of my favorite church memories. It nurtured my faith, friendships, and sense belonging in a shared community. Thank you Alice, and your friends in Christian Ed.
Alice and Gerry were both such kind people, with big hearts and a generosity of spirit that everyone could emulate—yet it’s so rare to find. They were good friends of my parents, and I’m so grateful that they’ve been a part of my church family. I’ll always carry their warm smiles, humor, and gentle grace in my heart. John 11:25-26
