[wendell-meetinghouse] A few more Meetinghouse thanks

[marianne sundell]

Dear Friends & Neighbors of the Wendell Meetinghouse, 

It has occurred to me that In my enthusiasm for youthful participation, I failed to thank several friends of the meetinghouse who really should have been mentioned. 

First, FWM longest serving member Charles Smith who had also been a member of the former congregation. Charles served as the first president of friends and remained on the board until when medical trouble created a need for him to finally step down. At that time he had been serving as VP. Charles was very passionate about seeing a new coat of paint on the building & made a sizable contribution to this cause. 

Along with contributions from the next generation, Charles was one of several older members of our board. Ray Gentl of New Salem also served on our board for several years. Michael Noble of Northfield also contributed time, energy, wisdom and some awesome raffle prizes. Sarah Kohler, also of New Salem and Gail Krutka who both served as treasurer. This help from folks in neighboring towns is really important, as Stan and Denise advised us that we will have a much better shot at state grants if our project serves regional needs, rather than only those of the town.

Otherwise, there are still far too many others who have supported the cause to mention everybody. However there are a couple other behind the scenes people I’d like to mention. One person who nobody else ever saw but me was my dear late friend Jeff Martell who is well know for his work with the Green River Festival. Jeff and I were close friends for decades and when it came to events he was always my greatest inspiration & my go to guy to mull over ideas and get feedback. We had just started planning a Kirtan Meetinghouse benefit when he was killed in a car crash on the day that hideous blue roof that know covers the entire view from my former home.

Finally, I want to mention Sam Eide. Frequently, when I felt troubled about something meetinghouse related and was trying to sort out the best course of action, I would talk to Sam who always listened patiently and gave wise feedback. 

Marianne Sundell

Sent from my iPhone