CEC All Saints' Day
Virtual Memorial
Since we can't be together to observe All Saints' Day in person, let's celebrate all the saints in our lives who
have entered into glory before us by remembering them here in this dedicated online sacred space! We'd love
for you to help us celebrate your saints by sending in videos, audio, photos, and/or text telling us about
the people who have most influenced your faith journey — these can be traditional saints (like Clare, Francis,
or Benedict), or anyone you know who helped make you who you are (parents, grandparents, siblings, friends,
and other loved ones). Don't forget to tell us a little bit about why these people are important to you, and why
you'd like to remember them. Send your submissions to CEC Ministry Intern Joshua Smith at
[email protected].
have entered into glory before us by remembering them here in this dedicated online sacred space! We'd love
for you to help us celebrate your saints by sending in videos, audio, photos, and/or text telling us about
the people who have most influenced your faith journey — these can be traditional saints (like Clare, Francis,
or Benedict), or anyone you know who helped make you who you are (parents, grandparents, siblings, friends,
and other loved ones). Don't forget to tell us a little bit about why these people are important to you, and why
you'd like to remember them. Send your submissions to CEC Ministry Intern Joshua Smith at
[email protected].
Eva Walker-Hamilton
(1899 – 1974)
Orville "Wayne" Farwell
(1922 – 2014)
Wayne Farwell was my father. He taught me the meaning of honor,
truth, and love. Although I have had to unlearn some of the things he taught me, these three things have served to guide my life. He was Carroll County Judge in Arkansas for some years, and he served on the Eureka Springs School Board. He spent many hours on his bulldozers, graders, and other earth moving equipment. He built numerous roads, and ponds. He built the roads for Holiday Island, and he helped build the lookout that overlooks Beaver Dam. He let me pretend I was “driving” as I sat on his lap in his jeep and his bull dozer. He raised cattle, and he loved fishing and flying. My first flying |
experience was with him as he flew his Piper Cub. Later when I was older, he let me move the stick in his
plane when we flew. To my delight, this caused the plane to go up and down and made me feel all powerful.
He encouraged me to pursue a career in nursing, because, as he put it, I might someday have a husband who
could not work. I am glad I followed his advice even though in my mind being a professor of nursing had
nothing to do with a husband. I am grateful for his overly strict and conservative upbringing because it fueled
a rebellion that allowed me to find my own liberal values once I left home even though they were still guided
by the basics of truth, love, and honor that he planted in my soul.
plane when we flew. To my delight, this caused the plane to go up and down and made me feel all powerful.
He encouraged me to pursue a career in nursing, because, as he put it, I might someday have a husband who
could not work. I am glad I followed his advice even though in my mind being a professor of nursing had
nothing to do with a husband. I am grateful for his overly strict and conservative upbringing because it fueled
a rebellion that allowed me to find my own liberal values once I left home even though they were still guided
by the basics of truth, love, and honor that he planted in my soul.
— Kathryn Farwell
Mary Lee Stotler
(1931 – 2013)
Mary Lee was a loving grandmother who taught me to sew, cook, and fish. She never threw
anything away and always made 12 different kinds of cookies at Christmas. Grandma would always let me play with her old costume jewelry and kept chopped carrots in the refrigerator for the dog. She was always thinking of other people and made sure everyone around her was fed and loved. — Alyssa Bennett Smith
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"Lady" Hamilton
Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our Earthly pilgrimage we may always be Supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know ourselves to be Surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen."— The Book of Common Prayer, p.250
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Dorothy Day
(1897 – 1980)
One of my favorite saints, Dorothy Day, was a journalist, activist,
anarchist, and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Day's spirituality was driven by a passion for service to the marginalized and a deep, abiding conviction that our salvation is bound up with our relationships to one another. "We cannot love God unless we love each other," she said, "and to love we must know each other. We know [God] in the breaking of bread, and we know each other in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone any more." She also wrote in her autobiography, “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love, and that love comes with community.” — Joshua Smith |
Shannon Mansfield Caba
(1985 – 2015)
Shannon [left photo: second from right; right photo: center] was an incredible daughter, sister,
mother, friend, and artist. She was a free spirit who lived life her own way and was always the life of the party — easily identifiable by her infectious laugh. Shannon made incredible art and always inspired me to do the same. Gone too soon, she is deeply missed by all who knew her. — Alyssa Bennett Smith |
Roger L. Connelly(1913 – 1999)
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and
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Mildred (Duckett) Connelly(1916 – 1995)
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Every All Saints Day and All Souls Day, I remember my
great-grandparents Roger (Pa) and Mildred (Mimi). Pa was a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary and a Methodist pastor for most of his life. Even though they both died by the time I was ten, they made their impression on me. I remember spending so much time with Mimi, who played games with me, and would let me watch her and her sisters play card games together in the afternoon. I also remember wandering around Pa's shop in awe at all the different tools and projects he worked on. Pa was a tinkerer who loved to figure out what made things tick — a trait that I inherited from him. He even built his own working model of a steam engine! Both were beloved, active members of the local United Methodist Church, and they often took me to Sunday morning worship with them. I remember squirming around on the maroon-colored pew cushions. That was my first experience of church, and it has stuck with me my whole life. Rest in peace, Mimi and Pa. I wish I could've known you as an adult. |
— Joshua Smith