Family and friends of Dominic John Charles gathered on Friday, June 18th to remember God’s goodness and mercy throughout Dominic’s long life. Dominic and his wife, Evelyn (d. 2011), were blessed with fifty-seven years of marriage. A veteran on the Korean War, the discipline of the military prepared him to be a longtime and successful baseball coach. He was honored for his coaching dedication by being inducted into the Monroe Sports Hall of Fame.
I should have known better, as I’ve been running for many years. Nevertheless, I planned a longer run even though the weather forecast looked ominous. Maybe I could beat the storm clouds, I thought to myself. I bet wrong. A few miles from home the winds began to blow and the skies opened up. As luck would have it, I was in a rural area with no place to seek shelter. Fortunately there was very little lightning; just torrential wind and rain.
Family and friends of Dr. Christopher Kelly gathered on Thursday, June 10th to remember God’s goodness, console one another and strengthen our belief that we are a people of hope. A gifted surgeon, Chris set high standards for himself; a trait reflected in his work. A native of Iowa, Chris joined the Catholic Church through RCIA, after witnessing the faith of his wife, Lisa’s family. Chris also had a “funny” sense of humor and was described by his staff as one who taught them many things.
Family and friends gathered on Monday, June 7th to give thanks to God for His goodness and pray for the peaceful repose of Mary Kathryn Carpenter. She was a woman who lovingly devoted herself to the needs of her family and guided and assisted others through her work as a librarian at various school and community libraries. Through her active service on community boards, Mary shared her wisdom and time in making the world a better place in which to live.
Joan Marie Raymond served as an obstetrics nurse, welcoming newborns into the world. Her love of children animated her life. Her daughters shared that she loved being a mother and took joy in nurturing her children by frequently holding them and hugging them often. Through her example her children were taught compassion, how to be a listener and how to reverence and cherish her husband, Tom (d. 2010). Joan was faithful to her “prayer time” each day.