SWEETHEARTS FOREVER A Story of Love, Passion and Commitment

James Arthur Lake & Nancy Carroll (Williams) Lake We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. Psalm 78:4- 8 (ESV) To our daughter, Karen Kristine (Lake) Fake and son, Peter William Lake and to our seven grandchildren: Amber Lynn Fake, Kyle Scott Fake, Wyatt Andrew Fake, Kenna Mae Fake, James Truett Lake, Charlece Rose Lake, and Samuel Jefferson Lake. Please allow this family history to encourage you, learn life lessons through our story and draw you into the loving presence of God.

CONTENTS

Introduction – Passing on the Legacy...... 7 PART ONE: CHILDHOOD 1 James Arthur Lake...... 10 2 Nancy Carroll (Williams) Lake...... 17 PART TWO: HIGHER EDUCATION 3 Boston University...... 26 4 Franklin County Public Hospital...... 27 School of Nursing PART THREE: 7 ½ YEARS 5 Dating and Engagement...... 30 PART FOUR: SWEETHEARTS JOINED 6 Marriage...... 32 7 Honeymoon...... 33 PHOTOS ...... 34 - 46 PART FIVE: 20 IN 26 8 Sweethearts on the Move...... 48 PART SIX: SWEETHEART’S SALVATION 9 James Arthur Lake...... 76 10 Nancy Carroll (Williams) Lake...... 78 PART SEVEN: NORTHBOUND 11 Called Back Home...... 84 12 The Gideons International...... 88 PART EIGHT: PROTECTED 13 Angel Encounters...... 92 PART NINE: VALENTINE’S DAY CARDS 14 Sweethearts Forever Notes...... 96 PART TEN: THE LAST WORD 15 Final Thoughts...... 100 16 The Blessing...... 103 Appendix A Father & Grandfather Lake Sayings...... 104 Appendix B Military Biography – James A. Lake, Colonel (Retired), United States Army...... 106 Appendix C Nancy’s Favorite Prayer as a Little Girl...... 108 Appendix D Kenya Testimonies...... 109 INTRODUCTION

Passing on the Legacy

Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation. Joel 1:3 (ESV)

Through generations upon generations, family remains the most critical unit in society. We strongly believe this to be true and find it most important to document our family history of those before us and for our family members who will come after us. It is to leave a legacy of history for others (mostly family members) to reflect upon, learn from and just have as a resource to say this is who James Arthur Lake and Nancy Carroll (Williams) Lake are in the course of history during their brief time on earth.

The format for this documentary is straight forward set chronologically enveloped with significant milestones in our lives. You will find this is a mixture in writing of the both of us, blended as usual which has been our theme throughout our lives since our marriage.

The title, Sweethearts Forever, is a signature of Jim’s father and mother, George and Phyllis Lake, as they addressed each other in letters and notes throughout their lives. Such are the impact of these words, that my older brother, Roy Lake and wife, Jo- Ann, embraced them as their own. We have done likewise, as Sweethearts Forever reflect truly who we are to each other. The subtitle, A Story of Love, Passion and Commitment, is important in the context of our lives. We have an incredible love for each other, love of God and others around us. This is not to elevate or be self- serving, but it is the depth of who we are as a couple. The passion is for life itself knowing that we are created for a special purpose for this time on earth. We do not know of a time that we did not strive to complete tasks with passion. Many times we never got them right but together we rejoiced in the victories and the ability to stay focused in those activities and events in our lives. The aspect of commitment is so integral to our lives. We will approach 50 years of marriage on June 10, 2017 with absolute trust, honor and like-minded in all aspects of what we do. We certainly had disagreements, but we always resolved them respectfully. We cannot remember in all the years of being together any fighting, screaming, abusing physically or mentally each other. It has been the love and respect for each other endeavoring to

7 honor and hold up each other that is a mark of our marriage. We have become one in the sense of committing to the Lord Jesus Christ, to each other, to our families and members of the body of Christ. In these three traits of love, passion and commitment, you will find in the readings to come that we are both quite different in our human characteristics. Frankly, it is amazing that God put together two to make one with the vast differences in personalities. Hopefully, you will be encouraged and learn life lessons by what we have experienced. Therefore, let us begin.

8 PART ONE CHILDHOOD

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13 (ESV)

9 CHAPTER 1 James Arthur Lake

My parents, George Vincent Lake and Phyllis Mae (Winter) Lake, married on July 27, 1935 at Phyllis’ home on 589 Pequoig Avenue in Athol, Massachusetts. Roy Vincent Lake was the first child born of George and Phyllis on August 27, 1938. Jim, as I was called by my parents, was born on April 22, 1945 at the Gardner hospital in Gardner, Massachusetts. My parents lived on 195 Orange Street, Athol for a time until the family moved to 799 South Main Street, Athol in 1939 where they remained for the rest of their lives. Had I been a girl, Mom and Dad would have named me Janet. For whatever the reason, it is a name that I never much liked even to this day. This would be the home where I would be raised, loved and cared for until my departure to college. My environment was one of respect and responsibility as exhibited by my parents.

Dad was born on April 8, 1914 in East Providence, Rhode Island. He was outgoing and would engage with anyone talking at great lengths. It seems that the tradition has been carried on by his youngest son. Dad was good with his hands, mechanically minded, and readily able to fix anything around the house. He worked at the L.S. Starrett Company for 42 years, starting out in Department 2 (milling and grinding) moving to Departments 31 and 7 as a foreman. At one time, Dad supervised 95 women and loved the social interaction with people. It was a stressful job being a foreman but, from feedback I received in later years, he was either loved or strongly disliked by the women that worked for him. His standards were high, and he did not tolerate half jobs. I remember he would get emotionally and physically sick when he would have to lay people off when work was slow. He really cared for people. Dad and Mom were soul mates; they incredibly loved each other and were a wonderful model to follow as I watched their love affair over 50 years of marriage. My brother, Roy, and I never heard Mom and Dad fight or degrade each other. There would be disagreements, but we never remember them having heated arguments. What respect they had for each other. After their daily dinner blessing, they would always say to each other “sweethearts forever.”

From time to time Dad would write religious poetry and sayings. Several writing gems were discovered from my Grandfather George Washington Lake (see Appendix A for sayings).

Perhaps, one of the most meaningful expressions from Dad to me was in the content of a letter sent to me after going on active duty with the United States Army in

10 1967. He said, “So my son, in whom I am well pleased…more power to you… also, when it seems that your efforts are worthless, they somehow shine thru.”

Dad was diagnosed with Type 1 insulin dependent diabetes in his mid-forties. He did remarkably well through the years in managing his health but in the end, it would be the failure of his heart and kidneys that would take his life. Dad and I had a deep love for each other, and he gave me a gift at the end of his life that I most cherish. I flew home from my duty assignment in Arkansas to spend a week with Dad as he lay in the Athol Memorial Hospital near the end of his life. It would be the final time I would see him. The last day I saw Dad I held his hand, crying and told him how much I loved him and thanked him for all that he did for me in his life time. Dad was not responsive, his eyes were closed, and I wished that he would communicate with me one more time. Telling him I was leaving and we would see each other again in heaven, Dad opened his eyes, looked at me, smiled and said these beautiful, wonderful words: “Jim, I love you!” He closed his eyes and was unresponsive again; I cried all the way back to Arkansas. I could not have asked anything more of my Dad. He loved me! Dad died at the age of 71 on March 2, 1986.

Mother was born June 13, 1915 in Athol, Massachusetts. Mom was a very quiet, reserved and well-mannered woman. When she spoke, everyone listened as she either had something profound to say or a declaration of something quite important to the family. She faithfully cooked the meals, reared her children, washed and cleaned and cared for the needs of Dad. Later on in life, there was demand for financial resources to help Roy and me through college. Mom went to work at the L.S. Starrett Company in Athol in Department 1 as a department clerk working for the foreman. She loved the contact with people of the factory. I remember the wonderful meals that Mom cooked; I can still smell the aroma of those special dishes. Mom was totally dedicated to Dad; she made sure that he was supported in his endeavors, always taking his lead in major things of life. However, she was the keeper of the house and would put things in order, including Dad. She had a way to let him know her desires and needs; Dad was smart enough to do his level best to comply with her wishes. They were a great team! Mom would live seven years beyond my father’s death. She learned how to live a life as a widow and did very well; she was a typical Yankee woman in all aspects. She would live in the home at 799 South Main Street until she was admitted to the Worcester Memorial Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. Mom would finally die of pulmonary fibrosis. About a week before she passed away in the hospital, I remember telling Mom that we hoped she would get better, and that we would have many good days together. Looking at both Nancy and I, Mom said, “No, I shall not leave this place and you

11 both need to get on with your lives.” I cried all the way home not wanting it to end this way. We had been away so much during my military career and since I was near retirement, our plan was that there would be many good years to be with Mom. It was not to be. With Roy, Jo-Ann, grandchildren Carin, Chris, and Karen, Nancy and I standing around her bed, we were privileged to see Mom depart to heaven as she took her last breath. Mom died on March 16, 1993 at 9:45 AM at the age of 77, six months before I retired.

Roy Vincent Lake was the first child born of George and Phyllis born on August 27, 1938 at the Farren Hospital in Montague, Massachusetts. Roy was six and half years older; his interests were different than mine. I never intimately knew my brother in my earlier years. He and I were distant in our relationship during those early childhood years. Mom would reflect how Roy was very active, always on the move, energetic and loveable. He was my “big brother” so I would listen carefully to him and do what he wanted me to do. There was the fond memory of Roy inviting me to be with him at Martha’s Vineyard (island off the Massachusetts coast) for about two weeks where he was working as a life guard at a motel. When he worked during the day, he would let me drive his Volkswagen (VW Bug) all over the island. I marveled at the freedom of driving anywhere I wanted, smelling the wonderful salt air from the ocean and exploring the endless sand dunes. At night Roy would usher me into the basement of the motel to quickly eat left over food and then just as quickly I would depart. No talking, just eat. Just being with my brother is a memory I will cherish, for they were few and far between.

He would attend Fitchburg State College receiving his Bachelor of Science in Education and attend the University of Massachusetts for his Master’s of Education in Elementary Education. Continuing on to the University of Connecticut, he would receive a second Master’s in Educational Administration. Finally, Roy obtained his Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin. It was a joy to call my brother Dr. Lake; I was very proud of his accomplishments. Half of Roy’s work history would be in education where he would rise to be a principal and the other half in the business world working for the L.S. Starrett Company as a personal manager and assistant treasurer. It would not be until we were adults that we would grow even closer to each other, and I am most grateful for our relationship in our adult years. You could say that Roy is much like our mother, quiet, reflective and deliberate in speaking. He married Jo-Ann (Angle) Lake on June 19, 1965, and they would have 47 years together. They were blessed with two adopted children, Carin and Christopher. She would courageously fight ovarian cancer that would take her life on July 22, 2012 at 9:36 AM. Roy would eventually become engaged to Joan Kelley where they live in Lyme, Connecticut with Roy still maintaining his home in Athol at 415 Pleasant Street. 12 Mom and Dad would talk about how I was a difficult baby. Apparently, I had a severe stomach problem early on and would constantly cry night after night. The endless crying drove my parents into many sleepless nights. At some point they took me to a doctor who prescribed Belladonna to calm my stomach. But, I remember Mom saying that the doctor instructed them to give me only one drop of the Belladonna in a bottle of milk. If they thought they made a mistake, they were to throw away the milk and start over as too much of the drug would be fatal. In a letter dated July 29, 1945 sent to Dr. Morris, Children’s Hospital in Boston from my Dad about my condition it reads in part: “At your (Dr. Morris) request, I am making a report on my 3 months old son James, whom you examined July 16, 1945. The baby seems to be getting along better since we gave him your prescription of tincture of Belladonna. He still throws-up a part of his food and still has days of being generally upset, although it doesn’t run in uniform circles as it did before. The palpitations or heaving of his stomach continues even in his sleep. He frequently acts as if he were hungry after a feeding. I would say that in general he has improved, but is not a normal acting baby as far as diet and crying are concerned.” Eventually the Belladonna worked, I recovered and have never had a recurrence of the problem. But, I sure was a trouble maker in those very early years.

My childhood was full of wonderful experiences with the family; let me take you down memory lane. I remember going fishing with Dad in the streams and ponds around where we lived in Athol. Oh, the patience of Dad as I would get my lure or bait tangled up in the brush along a stream. Dad would graciously untangle, and I would try to fish again. I am not sure Dad ever got to fish much in those earlier days, but I learned how to be patient as Dad was patient. As a teen, Dad and I would go to Quabbin Reservoir to Gate 35 during the night with lantern in hand and a trout line in the bucket. Reaching the water’s edge, we baited and put out the trout line and would catch numerous hornpout (small cat fish) and fill a bucket full of them. Off we went back to the house with a bucket full of the hornpout to be gutted and skinned late into the night. Sometimes we would store the live fish in the well on the property to be used when we wanted them.

We used to have an old two story barn on the property where I would pile up the snow below the hayloft door, go up to the second floor, and jump out into the snow bank over and over again. What fun; what memories of a carefree life.

As a young lad, playing cowboys and Indians was always fun. I loved strapping my two toy pistols on my belt. Loaded with caps to simulate gunfire, I would fantasize chasing Indians or cowboys. It did not matter who I was after; I just liked

13 the sound of the caps going off. These were days where I would be left alone to play in the woods, explore the steep ledge behind the house (always being told not to get too close to the edge). It was a time of carefree days and the prolonged joy of being in a safe and comfortable home. Traveling to Avon, Massachusetts where my Grandmother Ella Jane Lake lived was always a treat. I loved Grandma Lake as she was so kind with a gentle spirit and would cook wonderful meals. I would play with marbles on a wooden track and was fascinated with the prism that Grandma had on her table beside the window. Grandmother Amy Louise (Davenport) Winter, who lived in Athol, was a more strict, no nonsense person but had a big heart. After church every other week, we would go over to her home for noontime dinner, and she was a great cook. Grandma Winter was certainly a Yankee woman. She could hold her own in any situation, tough and sometimes appearing cold in her approach to people. She never called me Jim but always addressed me as James. There was a formality about her. We would play game cards together but never on Sunday. Sunday was a day to be respected for the Lord, and playing cards was unacceptable. The only one who had sort of “talking rights” with her was my Dad. He could stand up to her in a nice but firm way.

Then, there were the memories of camping, a most memorable 15 consecutive years of camping at Dolly Copp camp ground at the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. It was the fishing, camping and smell of mother’s cooking on the kerosene camp stove that was wonderful. Lying on the canvas cot watching the flickering of the camp fire reflect off the tent wall as I drifted off to sleep at night brings back such wonderful memories of a care free life. Dad worked for 42 years at the L.S. Starrett Company, and he had two weeks off each year, usually the first two weeks in August when the shop closed. These two weeks were for camping. Dad would spend all year fixing up a trailer on a car frame with compartments for storage that would be converted upon arrival at the camp site into a makeshift kitchen for my Mom. Dad was clever in how he constructed the trailer for transport and further use on site. Every week when Mom went shopping, she would buy one extra can of food to be put aside for the two week adventure to the mountains later in the summer. Reflecting upon this time of preparations, I realized that they both sacrificed a lot to make it work. Oh, the excitement of readying ourselves for this great yearly adventure. Money was tight in those days. Our special family treat was going out for ice cream once during those 2 weeks. I remember fishing with Dad on the Peabody River near Dolly Copp. I recall leaving our camp site walking alone on a trail through the woods about ¼ mile to the river to fish by myself. It is something you would never do today but back then, there was little worry of anything happening to you. Emerald Pool (large pool of water on the Peabody River with high ledges) was where I would dive into the cold, deep water off the

14 ledges. My body was numb from the icy cold river water. Tubing down the river when the water was high after the previous day’s rain was a blast! It was always dangerous and I once flipped over in the rushing water and almost did not make it to shore. When I did, I remember falling down flat on my face, totally exhausted, thankful that I did not drown.

Church was a staple in our family; every Sunday I would dress up with Mom and Dad and off we went to the Starrett Memorial United Methodist Church in Athol. I loved Sunday school, going to the worship service where the hymns would be sung, hearing the choir sing, and learning about Jesus. The sanctuary was beautiful and graced with radiant stained glass windows; the best of all the churches in the Athol area. I remember some very dear saints talking to me about Jesus and several of the pastors giving their sermons but never connected the dots about a personal relationship with Jesus. This would come later in life. However, it was a warm environment with loving people and good memories. It would be a pivotal building block for my relationship with Christ in the future.

Music was central in my younger life starting with listening to the choir in church and singing the old hymns of the faith. I would take piano lessons for five years from Ruby Noyes, an accomplished pianist and organist in the area who was strict in her teaching me the scales and classical music only. I next explored the riches of more contemporary music when taking up trombone and becoming quite good at playing this instrument. I sure could triple tongue “When the Saints Go Marching In!”

In school I would be classified as an average student who had to work hard for his grades. Attending Athol High School, I would shine in the band program where I played trombone in concert and jazz bands and got into all sorts of mischief along the way. In my senior year I broke the record of getting kicked out of band four times in one semester by our band director, Ray Dumas. Because I was the lead trombonist, I was always taken back with another stiff warning to behave. Yes, you could say that I was a rascal at times.

During my junior and senior year, I played trombone and base fiddle with a band called the Sonotones. Playing “gigs” on a Friday or Saturday night in the local community, we would have a great time entertaining the locals, make a little money and just have fun being together. Additionally, I had the opportunity to play professionally at band concerts held during the summer months. This would be as far as I would ever get as a professional musician during these few short years as college would change my direction in life.

15 Funding for my college education was a struggle. Mom and Dad had a second mortgage on their home to help fund my education during the first two years. During the summers, I worked at the L.S. Starrett Company as summer help of which I was most grateful. These resources plus my mother working allowed me to get through the first two years. I was very fortunate to be able to fund the last two years through an ROTC scholarship which I received based on my excellence in the program during my first two years. Being designated as a Distinguish Military Graduate, I was automatically entered into the regular Army while most of the ROTC graduates would enter as reservists. During those days, it was quite a distinction and level of status. This would set the stage for my military career (see Appendix B for military biography).

16 CHAPTER 2 Nancy Carroll (Williams) Lake

Nancy Carroll Williams was born July 12, 1944 in Gardner, Massachusetts, first born child of Alton Elliott and Lois Caroline (Olson) Williams. They lived on Chestnut Hill Ave in Athol, just down the street from Alton’s parents, Arthur and Irene Williams (113 Goddard St.). Alton and both Grampa Olson and Grampa Williams laid the foundation for our intended new home on Old Keene Road, but Alton died January 24, 1946. He was a juvenile diabetic with complications and had a respiratory infection when he died at the age of 26. I have one precious letter that he wrote to my mother about 2 weeks before he died in the hospital. Part of his letter reads: “How are the kids? I sure do miss seeing them and playing around and fooling with them. I have Nancy’s picture on the table by my bed and all the doctors, nurses, and visitors think she is cute.” He worked at the L.S. Starrett Company as a design draftsman. He and mother loved ice skating. They skated at Rockefeller Center in New York City on their honeymoon. They loved York Beach Long Sands, Maine and took the train there. After my father’s death, we moved into an apartment in the big former Leroy Starrett home owned by Grama and Grampa Olson at 373 School St. in Athol. Grampa had made 5 apartments within this grand home. I was 18 months and my brother, John, was 5 months old.

I was named after stage and Broadway star Nancy Carroll. She became very popular during the advent of sound because of her musical background. This red headed star with a cupid-bow mouth entertained movie audiences during the 1930’s where her singing and dancing abilities gained her a large following of fans.

My love of violets as my favorite flower comes from the memory of a little knoll in the backyard at 373 School Street. It would be covered with wild purple violets in the spring. Every Mother’s Day, I would pick a huge bouquet to give to Mom. When I would see Grampa coming out to mow the lawn, I would pick them as fast as I could. He would mow them down, but they would always return in greater numbers.

John and I shared a bicycle in our teen years, had a black alley cat named Midnight, and enjoyed our trips with Mom to Cape Cod and the White Mountains. We played a lot of board games. In the summer we would set up a Monopoly game outside on the grass on a blanket and play with the neighbor kids for hours (even days). We played games such as Red Rover and Hide and Go and Seek. When the 9:00 PM town whistle blew, it was time to go home for the night. We took piano lessons

17 together one year and learned duets. Patience was not a quality during that time and after a few broken piano keys, the lessons together ended.

I was somewhat sickly until I had my tonsils out at age 11. The migraine headaches started when the hormones hit at age 14 and there were many, many miserable years of suffering ahead. I took tap dancing lessons and was thrilled to be in a recital at the town hall in Athol. I remember dancing to “Lullaby of Broadway.” It was so exciting to be on stage with the thunderous tapping of the others in our cute little costumes.

My childhood friends were the O’Brien twins, Betty and Patty, and Mary Ann (Turner) Brill. We would all walk together to the new Athol High School from the Allen Street area, which was just one house too close to the line to qualify for the bus run. Lugging an armload of books and later a mellophone almost one and a half miles was a real task and uphill all the way. I attended double sessions in 8th grade at the old Athol High School on School Street while the new high school was being built. Our class of 1962 was the first to attend 4 years in the new school.

I liked art and drawing. My father was also artistically inclined. Oil painting lessons were given by Maria Piscionari when I was a young teenager. I worked on some of the artwork for the senior yearbook.

I met Sheila Kania in Junior High. We would attend Sock Hops and wear our matching poodle skirts. We would talk for hours and walk all over town. We almost got caught by Mr. Fields passing red hot candies in Latin class. Fortunately, he did not seem to see the ones that dropped on the floor in front of his feet one day as we held our breath. We were biology lab partners and raised fruit flies together for a special project. One day as we worked after school, our teacher, Terry Adams, asked if we found anything interesting. We said we found an odd fruit fly with shriveled up wings. He became very excited and said that it was a vestigial and wanted to mate it to produce more. He was very disappointed to learn that we had killed it by giving it too much ether as we examined it under the microscope.

Sheila and I were co-chairmen of the Junior and Senior Prom decorating committees. We had so much fun creating murals and designs for the Junior Prom theme, “Wonders of the Deep” and Senior Prom, “Aloha.” I cannot count the number of Kleenex tissue flowers we made for the leis for our Hawaiian theme. We worked on a life sized 3 panel mural of the three wise men for a Christmas Chapel program at AHS. We also painted window designs on a car dealership plate glass window at the bottom of School Street hill. Because she was Catholic, she obtained special permission

18 to be maid of honor at our wedding. Her parents liked Jim and me, so they let her attend MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) with us.

My grandfather was my father figure. Anton Linus Olson had come to America from Sweden through Ellis Island about the age of 18. He was one of 10 children in his family. He married Davida Johnson on March 31, 1920. He became a carpenter’s apprentice and later built many of the homes in the Athol area. He would come home at noon and eat a good meal, take a quick nap, and head back to work. Supper was a light meal. After Grama Davida’s death, he learned wood marquetry and created inlaid cabinets, clocks, and pictures. I loved watching him create in his workshop. I suffered many blood blisters on my childhood fingers as I learned to hammer nails with him on pieces of unused wood. He suffered a stroke and later died at the Quabbin Valley Nursing Home (Fleetwood) August 2, 1979 at the age of 86 after he developed pneumonia. He had a heart attack many years prior to that while on vacation at Cape Cod, but healed and lived a normal life. He smoked cigar and pipe and had a quiet and gentle spirit. The only time I heard him raise his voice was when I was running with a pair of scissors, and he called out my entire name in a loud directive voice to stop me in my tracks. He and Grama loved playing Whist with friends.

They always had a big vegetable garden. John and I would help plant and pick vegetables. One time, young John and I picked all the green tomatoes off the vines on one of his tenant’s plot. The tomato smell that permeated our hands and clothes proved we were guilty! Grampa had to repay him with some of his tomatoes. They did a lot of canning. Grama and Grampa would spread newspaper over the kitchen floor during harvest time and make piles of vegetables to be used to make their special piccalilli relish. They had a root cellar and would send us down to that dark, scary room in the basement to pick up carrots in the special sandbox.

Grama Davida (Johnson) Olson also came through Ellis Island from Sweden about the age of 9 months and settled in the Orange area. She worked at a button factory in Orange and attended Bethany Lutheran Church with Grampa. She was a wonderful seamstress, cook, and homemaker. She and her sister, Esther, would get together and bake Swedish cardamom buns, spritz cookies, and other delicious baked goods for the two families. The Swedish meatball suppers at Bethany Lutheran Church were a yearly tradition for our family. She and my grandfather had only the one daughter.

I remember awakening one morning to find my favorite doll by the bedside, dressed in a new wool navy blue hat and coat with red ribbons and buttons made with much

19 love by my Grama. She took me to see my first movie at the York Theater in Athol. It was a Monday matinee and we saw the “African Queen” in color. It was our reward after working together to get the washing done and hung on the clothes line first. I remember winding the wringer on the machine to get the water out of the clothes. I loved siting on a stool at Miss Ollia’s Hat Shop and watching the ladies try on hats. Grama had a goiter and atherosclerosis. She also had some form of dementia and wandered off downtown once. She had a caregiver come to help at home until she needed to have full time care at the Fleetwood (now Quabbin Valley) Nursing Home. She died July 20, 1964 at the age of 71.

Athol in the late 40’s had individual shops lining the main street, and it was customary for ladies to shop while wearing hats and gloves (for church also) and carry leather shopping bags as there were no plastic bags then. Shopping daily was the routine, until refrigerators were common. I remember the ice man coming to deliver ice for their icebox. He would carve out small chunks of ice and give them to John and me on hot summer days. The Svea Swedish bakery truck and grocery store also made home deliveries. I also remember their first television and watching John Cameron Swazey and the evening news, Ed Sullivan talent show where Elvis Presley was introduced, Howdy Doody, Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger, the Mickey Mouse club, Groucho Marx, and Dick Clark. As a young teen, we would go to the movies on Saturday at the Capitol or York Theater. There was a high adventure serial that continued week to week. It cost about 18 cents to get into the movie. Before TV, we would listen to favorite programs like “The Shadow” on the radio.

My father’s family came from Prince Edward Island. Irene and Arthur Williams had Alton, Marshall, Alma, Gordon, and Elizabeth (Aunt Betty) and lived on Goddard Street in Athol. Grampa Williams was a toolmaker at the L.S. Starrett Company. I remember their flower gardens. Marshall lived in a special institution after a head injury. The one time I remember seeing him as an adult at their house, he was mute. He sat down and started playing the piano beautifully without sheet music. Uncle Gordon had one son, David, and served in World War II in the Pacific. Alma and her husband, Marshall Buell, lived in Canada and were childless. She died of breast cancer. Aunt Betty and her husband, Chris (Noel), had 2 sons, Bobby and Butchy. I was dearly loved by her as I was the only girl among the cousins. She would bring me boxes of hand me down clothes and cared for me in her third floor tenement house in Fitchburg during the time when Mom had a hysterectomy for fibroids. We would take the train to visit her and the family.

Aunt Betty was a strong believer in Christ, but had multiple health issues. She always had a positive spirit and had a special angelic visitation once while

20 hospitalized. She led Grama Irene to the Lord before she died. Grama also had breast cancer. I remember very little about Grampa Williams as he died when I was young.

We lived a pretty frugal life as Mom was a single parent, but we had lots of support from Grama and Grampa Olson, and she was a hard and diligent worker. She worked at the L. S. Starrett Company in the Cost Department and could add up a long column of figures in her head faster than any adding machine. That’s where she met Alton (he worked in the design drafting department), and they went to an Alumnae Banquet together on a first date. She was paid in cash as there were no checks then and would place her money in budget envelopes for the week’s expenses. Grampa eventually built a lovely apartment for us over his workshop and garage on 94 Allen Street in Athol. Mom married Elmer (Vern) Bevis, when I was about 7 years old. We lived in a trailer in quite a few towns in the Chicopee/ Springfield areas until they divorced after 2 years of a stormy relationship. Mom worked as a waitress then and our trailer had no bathroom so we used a potty that was emptied daily and took baths in the special bath house at the park.

She dated Leighton Boutelle for 8 years, but the marriage commitment never happened, so they parted, much to her heartbreak. Mom had an endearing relationship with his daughter, Terry, as she was young and needed mothering. She and Terry reconnected at the time of Terry’s marriage later in life. What a joy and blessing she was to Mom’s heart.

Mom lived to be 88 years old and came to live with us 6 years prior to her death. She married Ernest “Bud” Gaudry in 1977, but their marriage was tough, and they divorced after 27 years. Mom and Grampa Olson purchased a home at 118 Lake Mattawa Road in Orange near the boat landing at Lake Mattawa and enjoyed much happiness there. Initially, it was a summer home, but Grampa worked to winterize it and made it a year round home. Mom loved the clouds and beauty of nature there and Jesus was her anchor in her times of trial. She was deeply spiritual with a very quiet and gentle spirit, always helping and caring for others.

She loved to travel and always planned day trips and vacations to the beach or mountains with John and I as kids. She was a loving and very caring mother. Often I would start supper or dust mop the floors and do some housework after school. She visited us in most of our military duty stations and was a fearless traveler. She often flew alone, took buses, trains, and taxis to tour places of interest.

21 Her lifetime dream of travelling to Sweden was realized in 1970. Jim and I had just arrived in Germany. Daughter Karen (age 1) and I flew to Copenhagen, met Mom there, rented a car, crossed by ferry into Sweden and had a wonderful visit with our Swedish relatives.

Mom loved studying the Bible and she joined our Monday night study group when she came to live with us. One night I noticed that her light was on quite late. Tip toeing up to her room, I was filled with joy to see her writing in her workbook and hunched over her Bible. Her journal entries revealed just what a prayer warrior she was and the deep love she had for the Lord. She also loved flower gardening, photography, reading, and fishing. She had a history of high blood pressure, migraine headaches, and arthritis and kept active in spite of these minor issues. She often bundled up in the middle of winter and walked out on our porch. Fresh air, walking, and sunshine were key to her well-being.

She lived with us for 6 years in Athol. She developed Lewy Body dementia, a bizarre form of dementia and had cycles of lucidity intermingled with periods of Parkinson’s like symptoms, hallucinations, confusion, and hyperactivity followed by deep sleep. This dementia manifested itself intensely about a year before she died at home with Hospice care and the love of her family on October 6, 2009 at the age of 88. I was privileged to be her primary caregiver with the help of Jim. We hired special ladies to watch over her at night and for times of respite. Those who knew her said that she did not have a mean bone in her body!

John was born 13 months after Nancy on August 12, 1945. Often times, John and I were mistaken for twins as he was big and I was petite. When we would have cycles of fighting and disagreements, Mom would tell us that she was going to put us in a big sugar bag and shake us up! He loved his music and cranked it up loud! He had a passion for Ford Mustangs, his BMW, and tinkering with any car. He enjoyed ice hockey, NASCAR racing, biking miles on end, canoeing, and swimming. He worked as a design draftsman and had an engineering mindset and always did much research before making any decision. He did some landscaping with his tractor and earned the nickname “Tractor John.”

He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow) in 2001. He fought hard. He did a lot of research. He endured chemo and stem cell transplant and many, many serious complications – always saying – “I’m tough, don’t worry.”

He and his wife, Pamela Frederick Williams, and daughter Lynn received Christ during this trying time. Jim was honored to assist in their baptism in 2005. John

22 died on March 8, 2009 at age 63. He and Jim were high school classmates. While he and Pam were dating, we used to stay up very late with them watching horror shows about giant bugs and gorillas called Chiller-a-rama. He and Pam had 3 children; Lynn (disabled and now in a group home), John, and Jamie. Pam had an outgoing, fun loving, and upbeat personality. She worked as “lunch lady” at the Athol schools and the kids loved her. She died April 4, 2013 from pulmonary disease caused by heavy smoking.

Sheila and I worked very hard on the Junior Prom and really wanted to go. I was extremely shy and turned very red, very easily. One of the girls from MYF told Jim that I really wanted to go to the Prom with him. He in turn approached me and said he would take me and seemed surprised that I would have noticed him. He was a lowly sophomore and also attended MYF. We were in the youth group Christmas play together. I was attracted to his fun-loving, mischievous ways, but a bit unnerved about his extroverted personality as I was completely opposite. We went to the prom with Stu Gunn and his date as we did not have a license yet to drive. I wore very low heels as Jim was just a tiny bit taller than I. On the way home from dinner at the Old Mill, Jim put his arm around me and moved in for a first kiss there in the back seat of the car. He seemed to want to have another kiss, but I sat bolt upright and my elbow caught him in the ribs. That was enough for now!

Through God’s divine intervention, I ended up at Starrett Memorial United Methodist church in my young years. I could not ride in a car even five miles due to severe motion sickness. I am sure I spoiled many trips by having to stop by the side of the road and be sick. John and I walked down School Street to the Methodist church while Mom and our grandparents went to the Swedish Lutheran Church (Bethany) in Orange several miles away. God has a sense of humor as He orchestrated circumstances in His sovereignty to put Jim and I together in the Methodist church where his family worshipped. Praise the Lord for motion sickness!

I loved the huge, beautiful stained glass window in the sanctuary at the Methodist church. It pictured Jesus carrying a lamb with sheep all around Him in a lush, green meadow. The colors were rich and vibrant of the tender Shepherd. A favorite prayer when I was little was from a hymn by Mary Duncan (see Appendix C for hymn).

During high school, I worked a couple of years for Dr. Ivor and Dr. David Muzzey at their dental office. Dr. David was fresh out of dental school. I was extremely shy

23 and easily turned beet red. I never raised my hand in class to answer a question and was happy to be “filed” in the back of the room of desks alphabetically. Williams was toward the end, and I was perfectly fine with this arrangement. One of my teachers called me a “blushing violet.” This dental assistant job was a milestone for me as I was thrust into the necessity of talking on the phone and talking to patients as I called them from the waiting room to the treatment room for their dental work. I did not have a problem with suctioning blood with extractions or gum surgery. I quit the job in my junior year as I wanted to be in band and other school activities that involved Jim.

I joined the band in my junior year after taking mellophone lessons from Allyn Washburn, so I could be in band with Jim. We were quite a couple as we drove around town and to school in Roy’s 1931 Model A Ford. My long walks to high school ended! We had great band trips to the Boston Pops with dinner before the concert at Durgin’s Park. I remember a huge strawberry shortcake dessert there cost a mere 50 cents. We toured Newport, RI during a concert competition. We played at football games and wore white shoes with our band uniforms. Our director, Ray Dumas, had a culture of excellence and a “no nonsense” attitude. He was well respected and the band was superb. One Thanksgiving Day football game it snowed and we were given permission to wear boots. We had to put our metal mouthpieces in our pockets so that it would not freeze to our lips and tear off skin when it was time to play.

I broke my nose at age 16 during a softball game at MYF. Nancy Cameron and I collided when we both ran to catch a pop fly ball and neither one of us stopped. Dr. O’Hara set it the next day in his office and I had 2 major black eyes by then. I was never fond of playing softball again.

Jim’s parents saved long and hard to buy his class ring. They gave it to him in high school and about 2 weeks later, after he played in a band concert in Petersham, the ring appeared around my neck on a chain. We were officially “going steady!” I am sure they must have had some heartburn on that one as it went quickly from his finger to me!

24 PART TWO

HIGHER EDUCATION

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Proverbs 18:15 (ESV)

25 CHAPTER 3 Boston University

I was accepted at Boston University, School of General Studies, upon graduating from Athol High School. This program was designed for those who were not the most brilliant but worked hard and had a good track record of success. If you made it through General Studies in two years, you could then transfer to a major discipline school within the university structure. Perhaps, it was that Boston University student counselor who cruelly told me that I should not be attending the school that motivated me to excel. Yes, I made it through and transferred to the School of Public Communication where I majored in Public Relations (Business and Industry). I would receive my degree on May 30, 1967 having excelled in the program in my junior and senior year making my parents quite proud. Another foundational building block in my life during this time was my involvement in the Army ROTC program which further established character, discipline, motivation, and skill sets which I never before experienced. I was accepted into the program in my freshman year and would remain with the program through four years until I received my commission as an officer in the United States Army. Also, I would join a fraternity called the Pershing Rifles, a highly organized, near fanatical association of military students who were passionate about the military. We learned important skills of leadership, precision and proper work ethic and what it means to be highly disciplined. Many hours were spent participating in marching teams of different types from common precision marching to trick drill teams. I still have scars on my hand from the receiving and throwing of 1903 Springfield rifles with 18” silver plated bayonets attached to them. The rank structure of the regular ROTC unit on campus and Company B-12 Pershing Rifles were similar. In my senior year, I became the Brigade Commander of the ROTC unit made up of about 400 military students and Captain of the Company B-12, Pershing Rifles with 40 highly motivated and extremely focused Army cadets. You could say that I reached the maximum level of command in each of these units. I can remember Dad asking me one time whether I was majoring in Public Relations or the military. I did not answer him. However, one thing is clear, there was a direct relationship between excelling academically and my disciplined life style. Academically and militarily I shined in the end.

26 CHAPTER 4 Franklin County Public Hospital School of Nursing

After graduation from Athol High in 1962, I was accepted at the Franklin County Public Hospital School of Nursing (FCPH) in Greenfield, MA. It was a 3 year diploma program. I was not accepted into the BSN program at Fitchburg State as I did not do well enough on my college boards after 2 attempts. Remarkably, I excelled on the pre-entrance National League for Nursing exams. The Lord put in my heart at an early age the desire to become a nurse. I had a toy medical kit and used it on my dolls. I never felt drawn to any other profession. Just in case, Mom thought I should take typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping for one semester in high school, which I did. Some of her old teachers were still teaching and occasionally called me Lois!

We started out with 15 student nurses. I met CC Chastney in the parking lot on the day we arrived, and it was a relief to see a familiar face from my high school graduating class. We graduated only 6. One girl left within the first two 2 weeks as she became ill just from the hospital smells. We were on the floors doing procedures in the first month of training. Several others either became pregnant or married and neither were allowed at that time, so they had to leave. There were 5 of us who became close early on: Cecelia (CC) Chastney, Marty Sherman, Priscilla (Rennie) Foote, Karen Ball (KB), and me (Willie). We were allowed to work as students and be paid. The bus was transportation back to Athol to see Jim on occasional weekends or he would drive to Greenfield to visit me. Insulin syringes were glass and reused after sterilizing in alcohol, surgical drapes were cloth, IV bottles were glass, and IV needles were stainless steel. Bedpans and equipment were metal. Very little was disposable. We worked very hard and had fun as well. We had a housemother and a curfew at the Nurses Residence on Beacon Street and had to sign in and out when we left the dorm. The day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, we all went down the street to the neighboring Catholic Church to pray and light candles.

We had our pediatric affiliation in Boston at the Floating Hospital. The first 6 weeks I had the teen ward, which was very challenging. The second 6 weeks, I had infants; I loved the babies. It was sad to see them with congenital problems that were not to be fixed and many died. Many of these precious little ones were tube fed. The reality of the various different shift hours hit when I opened my birthday card mail on my first working birthday on duty as I was rocking a little one. Night duty was very tough for me. By 5:00 AM I would become nauseated and couldn’t

27 wait to get to bed. The nurse’s residence in Boston was not air conditioned, and we were there for 12 weeks in the middle of summer. My room was on the 4th floor. Some nights we could hear the drunks crashing their wine bottles on the building downstairs. We did have some very fun times going on the subway to the beach, visiting the Boston Common, China Town, and shopping.

Our psychiatric experience came at Mass Mental Health Center also in Boston just before we graduated. Our eyes were opened the very first night of our arrival. We were walking down the street to get a sub to eat, and we saw a couple of guys on motorcycles stealing hub caps off parked cars. Our sweet little housemother was only with us a very short time as she suffered an attack of congestive heart failure, and we brought her into the ER and she was admitted. We were on our own the remainder of our 12 weeks there. We pierced each other’s ears with ice cubes using IV needles, and walked our psych patients over the bridge by Fenway Park and prayed they wouldn’t jump. I only wish we could have been there longer to see one or two inpatients get better and go home. Mental illness healing takes some time. Jim was back at BU at that time, so he would come and visit as often as he could.

My PPD (Tuberculosis test) turned positive while in nursing school. I remember caring for an elderly gentleman in the ward who was probably the carrier, as one day he had been moved to a TB facility. Eventually, I took a medication for a year when we were stationed in Germany at the advice of the Army doctors there.

After graduation in 1965, I worked at the 7 bed ICU at FCPH. I learned a lot. I remember the day we received our first cardiac monitor. It was mounted on a rolling frame and wheeled from bed to bed when in use. The hours were rough with 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM shifts followed by 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM the next day. After a year I moved to Surgery/Recovery room until Jim and I married. CC, Marty, and I shared an apartment on High Street in Greenfield after graduation. We all married in 1967. CC married Marty’s brother, Lee, and Marty married Jack McDonough, a friend of Jim’s from BU.

28 PART THREE

7 ½ YEARS

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

29 CHAPTER 5 Dating and Engagement

Nancy – Jim and I had been “going steady” for about 6 years. He was finishing up his last 2 years at BU, and I was working as a new RN in Greenfield. There were 100 miles between us, and we tried to get together as many weekends as possible. It was Christmas Eve 1966. I was working 3:00 -11:00 PM, but was excited as CC, Marty, and I were going to celebrate our Christmas when I got off work. I had to be back on duty in the ICU at 7:00 AM the next morning. When it came time to open our gifts, Jim presented me with a rather large box. I thought to myself that it must be an electric blanket, as our bedroom in the apartment was over a garage and so cold that sometimes one could see our breath! As I opened the box, there was another smaller box inside individually wrapped. I thought it might be a watch, but thought that I didn’t need a watch. After opening the smaller box, I found a tiny wrapped box. To my total and absolute surprise I found inside a beautiful engagement ring! I was blown away. Mary and CC left the room as they were in on the surprise. Jim got down on his knee and asked me to marry him and I said YES! I found out later that Sheila Kania (Graichen) and Jim went to Kuniholm’s Jewelry store in the center of Athol and chose the ring – a Keepsake diamond with white gold. I excitedly called Mom. She had known about it because Jim approached her to ask permission. By this time it was about 2:00 AM and I had to sleep fast to get ready for work. What a wonderful, unforgettable night!

Jim – I thought it would be a neat idea to ask Nancy to marry me on Christmas Eve. What a great way to surprise her thinking that she was getting a Christmas present from me. I had asked Nancy’s Mom for her blessing. She was in full agreement. I remember telling my side of family the details of how I was going to ask Nancy’s hand in marriage. There was excitement in the family as I left Athol to travel 30 minutes to Greenfield for the big event. I watched with delight as Nancy unwrapped the boxes to find the ring, totally surprised, accepting the marriage proposal on bended knee, tears streaming down her face. Of course, the hug and kiss! It was a joyous time; one of the happiest time in my life. I went back to Athol with love in my heart. The girl said, “YES!”

30 PART FOUR

SWEETHEARTS JOINED

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV)

31 CHAPTER 6 Marriage

I chose my wedding gown from a picture in Brides magazine. When I inquired about it and showed the picture at Aliber’s Bridal Shop in Greenfield, I was told that they had the gown I wanted to try on, but it wasn’t a big seller and it was boxed up and ready to be shipped back to NYC. I insisted they open the package and let me try it on. They did and it was the one! After I bought it, the store displayed it in their window and sold 7 others!

We had the rehearsal dinner at the Tully Brook Inn, and Mom and Dad Lake decorated the tables with June pinks and Mountain Laurel from their yard. We went back to 373 School St and opened gifts and visited with family until Jim and his groomsmen went to his house.

June 10, 1967 was a lovely, hot and humid day. The girls got dressed at Mom and Grampa’s home. Grampa Olson walked me down the aisle. Mr. and Mrs. John Bone provided special music. Mr. Bone sang “O Perfect Love” and “The Lord’s Prayer” and Mrs. Bone accompanied with the organ. Rev. Harold Smock performed the ceremony which Jim and I coordinated with him. Jim’s best man was Bill Robinson, who later ended his life after a couple of tours in Vietnam. Manny Souza, Roy Lake, and John Williams were the other groomsmen. Sheila Kania was maid of honor with Pam Williams, CC Chastney (Sherman), and Marty Sherman (McDonough). Andrea Kinsella was flower girl. Jim and I cried through the whole service. We ended by congregational singing “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”

We had a receiving line out on the lawn of the Methodist Church and I remember the little black flies crawling up under our long gowns and biting our legs. We cruised through town in a light blue Cadillac convertible loaned to us by Pam’s grandfather, Mr. Joseph Conway. He loved his cigars! The reception was held at the Ellinwood Country Club and we had meatballs and kielbasa. There was quite a bit of polka dancing after, especially with several of Jim’s Pershing Rifles fraternity brothers in attendance. Our wedding cake top was marble cake. As we drove away in Mom and Dad Lake’s car, we stopped down the road to shake out the confetti. Unbelievably, we locked ourselves out of the car! Jim remembered that Dad always hid a spare key somewhere under the car in a magnetic box and he found it, got us back in the car, and off we went. What a relief! We spent the first night in a hotel and attended Manny and Fran Souza’s wedding the next day. Then we departed on our first air flight to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon.

32 CHAPTER 7 Honeymoon

The day after our wedding we headed to Manny and Fran Sousa’s wedding. We had not finished the gift bottle of champagne that we started the previous evening in our hotel, so we corked it and put it in the back seat of the car. As we drove along, we heard a loud explosion. The cork had popped loose and we thought we had blown a tire. The night before we got the cork off with difficulty, but not until the bathroom wall in our hotel room was sprayed with effervescent champagne. Travelling with an open container of sorts was not a good idea and most likely illegal!

The flight to San Juan the next day was exciting as we had never flown before or been out of the Northeast. One of Jim’s fraternity brothers, Bob Pope, invited us to spend our honeymoon in Puerto Rico at his parent’s home. When we arrived, Bob picked us up in his VW “bug.” We wound our way up steep hills and curvy, dirt roads until we suddenly turned onto a paved driveway. There was a beautiful home overlooking the city of San Juan. We met Bob’s mother, a very gracious woman with a southern accent. Bob’s dad was a plastic manufacturing company owner and had a bit of a gruff, no nonsense way about him. We sat down to dinner in their sunken dining room and wondered where the meal was. Mrs. Pope rang a little bell and the maid appeared and served us. We ate off blue Wedgewood china. I recognized the value of this china and remember gently kicking Jim under the table as I thought he was scraping it a bit too hard. Mr. Pope had a large pool table in the center of the living room.

We stayed in their guest cottage attached to an outdoor patio and a beautiful Olympic size pool with underwater colored lights for night swimming. We felt like “Alice in Wonderland!” It was such a romantic place. Jim rescued me from numerous visits at our cottage from iguanas! We had a wonderful time touring the city of San Juan’s scenic spots, visiting the big hotels, and walking through the casinos. We took a side trip on a small plane to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands for a couple of days. The clear emerald green water was spectacular from the air.

Bob Pope took us out to lunch at a village outdoor “restaurant.” The picnic tables were fenced in and crabs walked around freely on the ground. We selected the ones we wanted and they were cooked on the spot and served in a rice dish. During the afternoon rain showers, we saw children walking with large banana tree leaves covering their heads as umbrellas for the rain drops.

33 We sat around the pool at our cabana on the last day. I knew I would be teased unmercifully when I returned to work in surgery if I had no hint of a tan. Some of the doctors had quite a sense of humor behind the closed doors of the surgical suite! On the plane that evening, my “tan” turned lobster red, and I experienced miserable chills the entire trip home. We were so blessed with the generosity of the Pope family for a memorable honeymoon.

This was the beginning of our world travels as two country, naïve, New England kids stepped out of their comfort zones! We had no inkling of how our vast travel adventures would enlarge our world view and bless our marriage.

James Arthur Lake & Nancy Carroll (Williams) Lake June 10, 1967 34 George Vincent Lake Alton Elliott Williams Phyllis Mae (Winter) Lake Lois Caroline (Olson) Williams July 27, 1935 March 16, 1943

Nancy (3) & Brother John (2)

35 Nancy Carroll Williams (1)

James Arthur Lake (9 months) 36 James (1) & Roy (7)

James Arthur Lake (7)

37 Arthur E.B. Williams (circa 1945)

Irene Gordon Williams (circa 1940)

Anton & Davida Olson (circa 1920)

38 Left – Ella Jane Lake Right – Amy Davenport Winter June 19, 1965

Jim – Class of 1963 Nancy – Class of 1962

39 Nancy’s Nursing Class 1965 Front (left to right): Nancy Williams (Willie), Cecelia Chastney (CC) Back: Priscilla Foote (Rennie), Judy Siano, Karen Ball (KB), Martha Sherman (Marty)

James & Nancy Jim’s Junior Prom 1962

40 The Sonotones 1962 (left to right) Carol Hazelton, Jim Bates, Bob Simonetti, Jim Lake, Stuart Gunn

The Engagement December 24, 1965

41 Cadet James Lake, ROTC Boston University August 1967

James A. Lake, Paratrooper January 1969 42 Celebrating Karen’s Birth July 6, 1969

Karen’s Birth July 5, 1969

43 Celebrating Peter’s Birth September 30, 1971

Peter (2) & Karen (4)

44 Mark Alan Fake & Peter William Lake & Karen Kristine Lake Rebecca Rose King May 20, 1995 June 24, 1995

45 The Whole Gang (July 4, 2016)

Row 1 (front) left to right: Wyatt Fake, Kenna Fake, Sam Lake Row 2 Peter Lake, James Lake, Jim & Nancy Lake, Kyle Fake, Karen Fake Row 3 Amber Fake, Charlece Lake

46 PART FIVE

20 IN 26

I will go before you, and make the rough places smooth.

Isaiah 45:2 (NASB)

47 CHAPTER 8 Sweethearts on the Move

My brother, Roy, said to me as I entered college: “You need to get out there and see the world” and that we would do. In the course of 26 years, a young couple in their mid-20s would begin an adventure that would last 26 years. There would be the birth of two children, raising and nurturing them. Multiple assignments caused instability with traveling about every three years to a new area. We often remarked that the first year of the assignment was settling in and getting to know people and the work to be done. The second year was productive where we knew the landscape and could make contributions in whatever we were doing. The third year we were really rooted and the thought of another departure became painful. There were assignments that were shorter than three years especially in the early years. It was cycle of instability, yet adventurous. There was always something new to come. So, let us record briefly those 20 moves in 26 years with significant events along the way.

Move #1: June 22, 1967 – August 26, 1967 From our homes to an island on a lake Residence: First Island, Lake Ellis, Athol, Massachusetts

Jim: We both knew each other well over a 7 ½ year relationship; I certainly thought I knew everything about this amazing woman that I just married. However, there was much to learn as we lived intimately with each other, loving, caring and meeting each other’s needs during this relatively short period of living on the island. This time was a great start for our marriage.

Nancy: We returned to Athol after our honeymoon and lived in a cottage on First Island on Lake Ellis as a gift from Sheila’s parents, Matt and Tena Kania. We had to use a row boat to get to the car parked on the shore across the lake in order to go to work. I dropped Jim off at Starrett’s where he worked in the milling room and continued on to FCPH surgery department in Greenfield. We had cold running water and used an outhouse at the cottage. We named our resident chipmunk, “Harvey.” He lived under the inside stairs and we fed him little treats. One day we were both late for work as a thunderstorm hit the area, and it was definitely not safe to row across the lake. We had picnics and lots of company and indulged in a time or two of “skinny dipping” on dark nights. We had a small color TV and used rabbit ears to get reception.

48 Move #2: August 27, 1967 – November 13, 1967 From Athol, Massachusetts to Augusta, Georgia Residence: 2006 Central Avenue, Apartment #5, Augusta, Georgia, 30904 Military Installation: Ft. Gordon, Georgia Assignment: Signal Corps Officer Basic Course, U.S. Army Southeastern Signal School

Jim: It was a strange feeling as we began our military journey - the separation from family and venturing into the unknown during the Vietnam War. One part of me wanted to stay in the comfort and protection of home, yet another was to seek the adventure of it all. I certainly was young and inexperienced. Yes, I rose through the ranks at Boston University ROTC program achieving the level of Distinguished Military Graduate and became a strong leader in the fraternity, Pershing Rifles. Now all of that was stripped away and only two gold bars of a second lieutenant rank were on my shoulders. I had reached my objective to be a regular Army officer. I had received my orders for basic officer schooling, followed by entry into Ranger School (at that time all Regular Army officers were to attend this course) and follow on schooling at an advanced communications school. It was all planned out; I just needed to do well. It was clear that there was a good chance that I would be in Vietnam within the next year. The Signal Officers Basic Course was cut short to 8 weeks due to the fact that officers were badly needed in Vietnam; officer causalities were on the rise and replacements were needed. I remember so vividly the first time I reported to the training company first sergeant (senior enlisted non- commissioned officer) before the start of class. Before getting out of the car, Nancy checked me all over to make sure I was dressed properly in my Class A uniform with my two gold bars and a nametag. In those days, it was “dress right dress” to perfection. Agreeing that I looked proper, I reported to the first sergeant. He kind of smiled and remarked to me: “Lieutenant, you just might want to put your nametag in the right place.” What!? Nancy and I did not notice that I put my nametag on the left instead of on the right on my Class A jacket. Something so simple, having corrected ROTC cadets myself many times, that I got it wrong. What a way to start my military career. With my tail between my legs, I went back to the car where Nancy would console and encourage me. She would do the same during many other mistakes in my military career.

Nancy: Jim was sworn into Active Duty August 28, 1967 and off we went in a 1960 Chevy with all our worldly goods packed into the smallest U-Haul trailer made. It was only half filled. Our first assignment was Fort Gordon, Augusta, Georgia. It was so hard leaving home. (Move #2) I cried all the way to Virginia during the 21 hour trip. We arrived August 29, 1967 and rented a fully furnished apartment for

49 the cost of $90.00 a month which included a window air conditioner. Jim began his initial training at the US Army Southeastern Signal School. I worked as an in home private duty nurse for an elderly Jewish man named Jake. We purchased a set of encyclopedias from a door to door salesman. The purchase included a free large white covered Bible. We used the Bible to adorn our coffee table. Looking back, it was ridiculous to purchase a set of encyclopedias as a newlywed couple with no children. However, God revealed the significance of that Bible many years later!

Move #3: November 13, 1967 – January 25, 1968 Jim – From Augusta, Georgia to Ft. Benning, Georgia Nancy – From Augusta, Georgia to Athol, Massachusetts Military Installation: Camp Rogers & Camp Darby near Ft. Benning, Georgia Assignment: Ranger School, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command

Jim: Ranger training was the most difficult assignment and life experience. The United States Army Ranger School was an intense 61 day combat leadership course oriented toward small-unit tactics. It was the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army had to offer. The purpose of the course was learning to soldier as a combat leader while enduring the great mental and psychological stresses and physical fatigue of combat. Working 20 hours a day, less than 3 ½ hours of sleep a night and consuming only one or two meals a day over a nine week period of time would show who the real Ranger Lake was like. I wondered if I could achieve each objective put before me during the course. There were three phases of Ranger training: the Benning phase occurred around Camp Rogers and Camp Darby at Fort Benning with intense physical training and combat instruction for later on application. The mountain phase was conducted at Camp Merrill, in the remote mountains near Dahlonega, Georgia. Constant repelling and climbing mountains with endless patrols from valleys to peaks would continue to wear down my body. Rapid loss of body fat and toning up of muscles would take place. It was a very punishing phase of this training. The last phase was in the swamps of Florida near Camp Rudder, Eglin Air Force Base. Brutal weather occurred as my training was between November through February. This last phase was mid-January through first part of February. Being constantly in cold water during 40 degree temperatures would set the stage for near hypothermia. I remember being on patrol wading through the swamp in waist high water for most of the day. Upon reaching the dry ground the instructors recognized that we were near a state of hypothermia. They allowed us to start open field fires, strip off all our clothes, and hold them butt naked over the fire to dry them out. We had but two hours to do it and then put on the clothes and continue to patrol. There was no mercy. However, we did see the medivac helicopter come in and take away a

50 couple of students who were in the state of hypothermia. They did not return for further ranger training.

Finally, the day would come after the nine weeks as we concluded our combat training with a huge assault upon an enemy compound with the goal of neutralizing the enemy and then return to base camp. The night before it was eerie as we were set up for the assault to come. The instructors came around yelling out last names of men who were to follow them. These were the men who had completed all the training and did not qualify to be called “Rangers.” They would return to the base camp, out process and we would not see them again. I cannot tell you how gut wrenching this was to see these guys go all the way and not make it. I was glad that I was not one of them. The next day a group of about 110 out of 220 started the trip went back to Camp Rudder. We were worn out, physically exhausted, and mentally depleted men. Hardly able to stand up in a line, the Colonel in charge came by and slapped a Ranger Tab on our left shoulder and announced: “Congratulations, Ranger!” I will never forget our class motto: “Rough, Rugged and Ready” and indeed we were. At the end of course, I weighed 165 pounds and had no body fat. Within two weeks from graduating, I would be in the best physical shape of my life having recovered from the physical fatigue. Mentally, I thought I was invincible; nobody could take me down. I truly had become a United States Army professional killer.

Nancy: Mom came to Georgia to help us move. After Jim left for Ranger school, we took a vacation to Miami Beach. We loved lying on the beach in the warm sun in the middle of November and returned home “brown as berries!” I returned to work at FCPH in the interim. Jim came home for a 12 day Christmas break. He had lost so much weight that I almost did not recognize him when he got off the plane. It was a great reunion but that “sick” leaving feeling once again took over as he left to finish Ranger School.

Move #4: January 25, 1968 – May 2, 1968 From Ft. Bennington to Lawton Oklahoma Residence: 2704 A Avenue, Lawton, Oklahoma, 73501 Military Installation: Ft. Sill, Oklahoma Assignment: Advance Communications Officer’s Course, #8 (0200 course)

Jim: This 12 week advanced communication’s course would be extremely important in the specifics of the combat communications being used in the United States Army at that time. The information I gathered and practical application of the equipment would hold me in good stead in Vietnam.

51 Nancy: We drove to Lawton in our 1960 Chevy with Massachusetts license plates. One little town in Mississippi had a sign that said, “If you are a Yankee don’t stop here.” Unfortunately, we learned over the years that many in the South were still “Fighting the Civil War,” and we were not well accepted due to our “Yankee” status.

We saw oil wells on the Oklahoma City Capital lawn, artillery power demonstrations, Native American Indian villages, and an outdoor Easter pageant. We bought a 19 cubic foot standup freezer and purchased a quarter side of beef with friends. Western beef is so delicious! For entertainment we would gather with friends out on the Wichita Wildlife Refuge, hook up a parachute to our back, catch a gust of wind and bounce along the prairie. We were young and foolish as we were so close to the buffalos. I remember how the tumble weeds would blow across the yard in our rented house and how challenging it was to hang clothes on the line due to the wind. One day I picked up the laundry basket from the ground, balanced it on my hip, and felt the pain of fire ants as I had unknowingly set the basket down on their nest. Mom came to visit. We drove out to an Indian village and became stuck in the mud as we pulled off to the shoulder to take pictures. We were rescued and given a tow back onto the road by a passing trucker. Thunderstorms in Oklahoma were very loud and scary!

I worked at Southwestern Clinic Hospital on the Medical Surgical floor and ICU.

Move #5: May 2, 1968 – January 4, 1969 From Lawton Oklahoma to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina Residence: 203 Spear Drive, Corregidor Court, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina 28307 Military Installation: Ft. Bragg, North Carolina Assignment: 3rd Battalion, 505th Infantry, 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division

Jim: When I arrived at Ft. Bragg assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, the war was raging in Vietnam. The 3rd Brigade of the 82nd was fully deployed in Vietnam and to bring the Division to appropriate manpower strength, leadership created a 4th Brigade. It was this 4th Brigade that I was assigned to, specifically, the 3rd Battalion, 505th Infantry. Several memorable events occurred. Upon reporting to the executive officer of the battalion who was a major, I asked to see the battalion commander (lieutenant colonel). The major remarked that the commander will see no “leg” (leg is a term used to indicate a soldier who is not airborne qualified). So, off I went to the division headquarters to sign up for a three week airborne class at Ft. Benning, Georgia. After being through Ranger School, Airborne School was relatively easy. Jumping out at 2,000 feet from C-119 aircraft was a bit challenging but exciting. Finally, I was able to report to my battalion commander

52 when I received my “wings” and no longer be called a “leg.” I was in charge of 30 men of the communication’s platoon of the battalion. The interaction I had with my platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class (SFC), Claudio Vagleo, would provide the stepping stones for the rest of my military career. This chain smoking, tall, handsome Portuguese would take this inexperienced second lieutenant and give him two options; I remember them so well. He stated that option 1 was that I could give all the orders to the men, and he would faithfully carry them out to best of his ability. Option 2 was that I could observe him running the platoon but ensuring that he would tell me the orders to give making it appear that I was in full command. He would teach me how to handle the men in the “real Army” to encourage, discipline and motivate them. Additionally, he would share wisdom of actual combat so that I might make it through Vietnam without being killed. I was hearing the words from a seasoned combat veteran with multiple tours in Vietnam and Korea with the designation on his uniform of making three combat paratrooper jumps into enemy territory. It took me less than a second to select option 2. Once again, I would become the student and SFC Vagleo the instructor. It was a decision I never regretted. I would take his wisdom as foundational stones for my 26 year military career. My life lesson was the search for knowledge and being teachable is good, but wisdom, the application of knowledge and teaching, is far better. My time with the 82nd Airborne was only 9 months, but absolutely a great way to start my first duty assignment. Spit shined paratrooper boots, starched fatigues, and trim haircuts were the order of the day. Morning exercises with two mile runs and the required qualifying paratrooper jumps were the normal routine. I was ready for Vietnam.

Nancy: Jim arrived with no Airborne Wings, so off he went to Fort Benning for 3 weeks as I set up the house. I travelled to see him make his final jumps before graduation. There, I received a knock on the door at my motel. There were 2 lieutenants asking me to come with them to the ER. Jim had a good lump on the back of his head after a hard landing on the drop zone. He required 8 X-rays, but was cleared to jump again. Graduation was the next day, and it would have been very disappointing if he had to miss it.

One of my favorite jobs came as I learned the art of office nursing for Dr. L.B. Hardison in Fayetteville, NC. I gained experience as I did X-rays, EKG’s, allergy shots, drew blood, and ran lab tests. He even made house visits.

It was very hot and the soil was hard, red clay. I remember coming home from work one day and the zinnias I had planted were burned black and very dead. We bought our first window air conditioner and slept on the sofa bed in front of it to survive the heat. Hello Karen! 53 Dr. Hardison took his office staff out on a deep sea fishing trip one weekend. I took Dramamine, but still became extremely seasick. When I returned to work, I was still drinking ginger ale and eating saltine crackers. He ran a pregnancy test and confirmed that I was indeed pregnant.

I thought a good wife would make her man bacon and eggs every breakfast. This stopped at the time of the pregnancy. I drove Jim out to the field very early every morning as we had the one car. As I entered the house, the smell of bacon would cause an immediate nausea and vomiting response. After going back to bed for a couple of hours, I headed off to work for the day.

Vietnam War was escalating and we knew Jim would receive orders soon. He called me at work with the news, and I was an emotional mess and not so pleased that he didn’t wait until I got home. I forgave him as I am sure that he was feeling just as conflicted as I was.

Move #6: January 4, 1969 – February 10, 1970 Jim - From Ft. Bragg, North Carolina to Cu Chi, Vietnam Nancy – From Ft. Bragg to Athol, Massachusetts Residence: Jim – Cu Chi, Vietnam Residence: Nancy – 373 School Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 Military Installation: Cu Chi Base Camp, Vietnam Assignment: Communications Officer, 25th Aviation Battalion, 25th Infantry Division

Jim: I believe one of the worst days of my life was leaving Nancy and my parents as I boarded a plane out of Boston to the west coast. Then, it was on to Vietnam via Hawaii for refueling. As I sat on the plane, I wondered how many of us would come back alive. Arriving at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, we departed the plane into hot searing heat walking through the terminal as waiting returnees would soon board the plane. I remember their joyful faces and solemn faces of those of us just arriving. I wished for the 365 days to pass quickly. From Cam Ranh Bay, I flew on an Air Force C-119 at night to Saigon and then was transported to Cu Chi Base Camp 40 miles west of Saigon. I was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division with duty with the 25th Aviation Battalion as their Communications Officer. It was exciting to be able to use the knowledge, teaching and wisdom gathered in such a short period of time in the war effort. There was no time to recall the protests against the war in the States; I was consumed with my duties every day seven days a week. Except for an R & R (Rest & Recuperation) in Hawaii, it was constant work at minimum of 15 hours a day. This is not to understate the death and destruction

54 which I witnessed during my time. It seems that I have compartmentalized these experiences with the door occasionally being opened by memories. Because the pain can be severe, I shall refrain from telling the experiences and prefer to keep the door shut. Even though I drew great satisfaction from my work as a communication’s officer, I would be the first to state that war is terrible and should be avoided at all cost. I should note an incident which would add to my spiritual journey to come. One evening the enemy launched 122 rockets into the base camp. It was late at night and I dove under my bed as I heard the rockets come screaming in. I remember being in the fetal position right up against the wall asking God to save me and not be killed by the rockets. As the rockets exploded and shook the building, the plaque which belonged to Nancy’s father which she gave to me when I left fell off the wall above me and landed in my hand. The plaque read, “Trust in the Lord.” I could not help but think that God was telling me something. God was nudging me to have a relationship with Him, but I did not get it. By His protection of my life, I would establish this relationship later on in my life. The journey home from my year in Vietnam was wonderful. I remember the cheers from those on board the “bird home” when we took off from Saigon airport with the pilot making a sharp ascent to avoid gun fire. Arriving in California, I changed from my fatigues to my Class-A uniform for the trip to Connecticut where I would meet Nancy, baby Karen and my folks. While waiting for flight arrangements to the east coast, an old veteran spotted me and asked whether I just returned from Vietnam. He thanked me for my service and took me to the airport bar and bought me a drink. We talked and it was good to be able to share experiences with someone who understood the aspects of war. Outside of my family, this would be the only time for a very long time I would hear anyone acknowledge my service in Vietnam. This was a time in our country’s history where the military were the “bad guys” – the baby killers, etc. There were protests against the politicians, but the hatred was expressed to anyone wearing a military uniform. I recall the arrival at the Hartford international airport on a cold, rainy February 1970 day. In those days deplaning was down a flight of stairs from the aircraft into the terminal. I remember that kind person who said before I departed the aircraft, “Captain, let me hold this umbrella over you as you go down the stairs.” I never forgot that kindness. If you can image the scene played over in many other wars of the husband and wife running toward each other in joyful reunion; this was it. Oh, how I wanted to be in my lover’s arms, my best friend - my soul mate.

Nancy: Before Jim left for Vietnam, we named our baby “Karen/Peter” or “KP” for short. Dad Lake would pat my belly and say, “Hi KP.” There were no ultrasounds or baby in utero pictures then. My former roommate, CC, and I took Lamaze classes together. She was an obstetrical nurse and natural Lamaze birthing was a new phenomenon that appealed to me, so CC and I learned together. 55 Jim left the day after Valentine’s Day. Words cannot describe the feelings of deep sadness and anxiety I felt not knowing if I would ever see him again or if I would join the ranks of the young military widows. I had given him a small wooden plaque that I was told belonged to my father which said, “Trust in the Lord.”

Baby Karen was 5 months along and we had felt her just start to flutter and kick in the womb when Jim left. We lived with Mom and Grampa Olson on School Street. Aunty Pam would go with me to my OB appointments and every one was greatly supportive. I busied myself with working in Recovery Room at FCPH until just before Karen’s birth.

Light labor started on July 4, 1969. I was hoping for some real fireworks that day, but early the next morning, it was time to go to the hospital. CC was just arriving for duty so she tended to me as well as taking care of others who were delivering. Karen Kristine Lake was born on July 5, 1969 via pudendal block at 4:21 PM and weighed in at 6 pounds 8 oz. Grandparents Lois, George and Phyllis were there to meet her and watch CC give her a bath in the nursery. It was a special time for all of us.

When Dad arrived home, he called George Fiske who was a local Ham radio operator. George patched the message of Karen’s birth all the way to Vietnam to Jim outrunning the Red Cross message. Jim even surprised me one day in the hospital by calling and talking to me. Because I had my training and work experience there, everyone was excited with me in this small country hospital. It was a bit awkward as there were many listening ears across the globe ready to move the switch when one of us said “over.”

As I took Karen home, the newborn nursery nurses told me that I was going to have my hands full with Karen as she seemed to have a little temper. Karen was a fussy little one and seemed to have a lot of colic. My anxiety with Jim being gone along with eating too many summer cucumbers during breastfeeding most likely added to it. We visited Great Grama Ella Jane Lake at Dennis on Cape Cod. She had a wonderful touch with Karen and would rock her on the front porch and calm her to sleep.

I remember bathing Karen in her rubber tub on the kitchen table and holding her up dripping wet and squawking unhappily as I showed her the TV footage with our Apollo 11 astronauts on their way to the moon on July 20, 1969!

What a reunion Karen and her Daddy had when we met him in Hawaii during “R and R” (Rest and Recuperation) from Vietnam for a week. Jim was gray looking 56 and exhausted and I looked the same after travelling so my hours and being up most of the night. Karen was 9 weeks old and we toured Oahu and enjoyed our time as a family. We put a lot of miles on our rented car as Jim sought to unwind. We parted once again. My sadness was deflected as my plane readied for take- off and a man close by had a cardiac arrest. I helped by doing mouth to mouth and a grandparent couple behind me snuggled Karen. He did not make it. Jim returned home just before Valentine’s Day in 1970 and the reunion was very, very sweet. After a month’s leave, we moved again. It broke our hearts to take the grandparent’s precious granddaughter so far away across the Atlantic Ocean. Dad Lake told us that we needed to live our lives and go forward.

Move #7: February 10, 1970 – March 20, 1973 From Cu Chi, Vietnam to Babenhausen, Germany Residence: Building 4541, Apartment 151, 4th floor, Babenhausen, Germany Military Installation: Babenhausen, Germany Assignment: Group Communications Officer, 41st Field Artillery Group (formerly 36th Field Artillery Group) and Headquarters Battery Commander

Jim: Our 30 day leave in the States went by very quickly visiting family and friends and preparing for our first journey as a family to Europe. Before leaving I did want to return to Boston University to my Company B-12, Pershing Rifles fraternity to visit. Wearing my Class-A uniform and walking down the sidewalk, a male student approached me swearing, calling me a baby killer and finally spit on my uniform. This was the moment when I almost lost my military career. Furious, I would have …. But, somehow, I held my composure, took out my handkerchief, wiped off the spittle and moved on through the vulgar shouts. The military was not honored during those days.

Our arrival in Germany was during the winter and adjusting from the 102 degree heat of Vietnam to the 20 degrees of Germany was shocking. The artillery group I was assigned to included 8”self-propelled howitzer battalion, 175 mm self- propelled gun battalion and an Honest John battalion. The Honest John was a rocket considered the first nuclear capable surface-to-surface missile. The whole purpose of this very heavy artillery group was to protect the region from Soviet Union forces coming through what is known as the Fulda Gap (northeast of Frankfurt, Germany). I would estimate that 1/3 of my time during this tour was spent in the field training units and examining their communications in Grafenwohr (eastern Bavaria, Germany). This was a major training area for artillery units in Germany. I was able to check off my requirement for company level command by becoming the commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the Group for

57 a year. It would be a most challenging job with multiple personnel and equipment issues. I would remember the lessons taught to me by SFC Vagleo – a wise non- commissioned officer indeed.

Nancy: We arrived in Babenhausen after an all-night flight. Karen was 8 months old and crawling. We went to the Officers Club for lunch. A cute German waitress brought Karen a small glass of a yellow liquid to drink and played with her. I was horrified when I learned the liquid was Kinder beer. I later learned that this was specially made for children without alcohol and Karen loved it. We lived on the 4th floor (62 steps one way). By the time Karen was able to climb all the steps up unassisted, Peter was born.

We travelled around Germany and the surrounding countries as often as possible. The Germans would close up their shops on Saturday afternoon, sweep the sidewalk, rest and get ready for Sunday. Our favorite park was in nearby Aschaffenburg near Mespelbrum Castle. The Germans loved to walk and there were paths connecting towns to other towns. We loved the Rhine River and took many cruises and trips there. Small Hummel’s cost less than $5.00 each and the dollar was just about 4 Deutschmarks to one American dollar. We bought a lovely pink crystal chandelier and green marble table. We ate all kinds of wiener snitzchel. The food was so good.

When Mom Lois, Karen, and I travelled to Sweden, we drove our rented car through the rolling farmlands to Gotene. We stayed most of our time with Dagny, Birgitta, and Berith at Uncle Otto’s farm where Grampa Olson was born. Birgitta and Berith spoke very good English, but everyone else needed translations. We made hand gestures and laughed a lot. Otto lived at a health spa and resembled Grampa so much. Ivar and his wife, Hanna (Grampa’s sister) were gracious hosts and she gave us her recipe for Mjuk Pepparkaka (spice cake). We saw all our other relatives in the Gotene and Mariestad area, Lake Vanern, and Kinne-Vedum church, where Grampa used to attend as a boy. Uncle Otto finally relented and allowed a toilet and sink in a newly built bathroom at the farm. The bath tub was a very large blue rubber tub placed in the middle of the kitchen floor for bathing. Karen loved it, but Mom and I did sponge baths in the privacy of the bathroom sink. Berith was about 14 at the time of our visit and she took a love for Karen and carried her around everywhere and loved playing with her. When we returned home to Germany, I found that 2 new molars had erupted in Karen’s mouth and she did not make any indication of pain as she was so distracted! Just before we left, the relatives treated us to a wonderful smorgasbord and we have kept in touch with many of them at Christmas.

58 I worked periodically as a Red Cross Volunteer at the local dispensary staffed by 2 military doctors. Our German employed nurse would bring in spargel, a white asparagus grown in the nearby fields. This was a real delicacy in the spring and it was grown in mounds and never saw the sunshine.

My health suffered with frequent sinus infections, allergies, and migraines. There was a lot of air pollution due to the diesel fumes and climate. I had one sinus infection that progressed into pleurisy, bronchitis, a broken rib from coughing, and viral pericarditis. That landed me in the Army hospital for 2 weeks. During the recuperation period, I became pregnant with Peter. He was born September 30, 1971 at 11:00 PM at the 97th General Army Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. Jim was in the midst of a big unit inspection. He came home for supper that evening and the contractions hit, so off we went to the hospital. As I moved to the delivery table, I introduced myself to the doctor. The procedure in the military system was that 200 women had appointments on the same day for prenatal checks. There were several doctors working and you were seen in the order that you signed in at clinic. One never knew who the doctor was that might see you that day or deliver you. Peter was born with a local block. We shared a room with 3 other new moms and their babies. He was one of 40 babies in the nursery. I was so thankful to have experienced one delivery already and we older moms encouraged the first timers. Staffing there was very humble. Jim was able to visit once because he was so busy with his inspection. Lori Keivit had taken care of Karen for us and she drove us home.

Once again I was admitted to the 97th Army Hospital, this time with a post-partum endometritis 8 days after Pete was born. Barbara, one of the ladies in our housing kaserne was nursing her young baby and had an abundance of milk. She nursed Pete once a day and I pumped while in the hospital to keep the milk flowing. Margaret Rich took care of Pete and Lori took Karen. These were very special friends, along with Bunny Vance.

Our military community was very close knit. We cared for each other’s children when couples took second honeymoons to nearby countries, gathered for bridge parties, and walked in the German woods to nearby towns. We joined the German- American Club where Jim played St. Nicholas one year and enjoyed the wonderful culture of the Germans.

We were blessed to take many short trips to Holland, Garmish, Paris, Verdun, Belgium, London, Berchtesgaden, Switzerland, and Austria. Jim went to Italy on temporary duty.

59 We spent one Christmas evening at the home of Frau Brinkmann, our dispensary nurse, along with our two military doctors and their wives. There was a fresh live tree in her living room adorned with carefully placed white candles. Each one was lit with a lovely small flame. We talked and drank a gluhwein that she poured over a sugar log in a fired brass pot. After she had plenty to drink, her strong opinions about World War II came out, and it was a signal that it was time to go home.

In addition to volunteering in the dispensary, I was very active in the Army Community Service and we held monthly meetings to reach out to the young wives living off post. I painted a Raggedy Ann and Andy sign for the post nursery. Officers Wives Club was another very active area as well as helping outwith Vacation Bible School. It was a full and active time of life and we loved all of the many blessings we experienced in Germany.

Move #8: March 20, 1973 – May 30, 1974 From Babenhausen, Germany to Augusta, Georgia Residence: 2643 Quinn Court, Augusta, Georgia 30904 Military Installation: Ft. Gordon, Georgia Assignment: Student Officers Advance Course (SOAC)

Jim: I would return to Ft. Gordon once more to complete mid-level company grade training for Signal Corps officers. Over most of the next year, advanced methods of warfare were discussed including the latest on leadership techniques and state of the art communications. This was a time to rest from the intensity of previous assignments and enjoy the training environment.

Nancy: We rented a townhouse just adjacent to the Masters Golf course in Augusta. Our good friends, Bill and Gerrie Jennewine were our neighbors. Their daughter, Terrie, was our goddaughter. Peter and their Debbie were a month apart and we weaned them off bottles and pacifiers together. We enjoyed many visitors. The dogwood trees and azaleas were breathtaking. Karen and Terrie got into a neighboring vacant backyard and decided to paint the fence. Mischief makers! Karen started preschool at Big Pine Montessori School. Even as a two year old Pete had a keen sense of direction. He would cry and point if we passed by our entrance to the townhouse complex. We bought a Starcraft Starmaster pop-up camper and spent many weekends at Clark Hill reservoir camping and fishing. We were able to fish year round, and when the weather was cold in January, we sipped a little ginger brandy to keep our innards warm.

60 Move #9: May 30, 1974 – November 12, 1975 From Augusta, Georgia to Eatontown, New Jersey Residence: 45 Midway Lane, Eatontown, New Jersey 07724 Military Installation: Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey Assignment: Systems Engineering Course and Master’s Degree Program

Jim: I was surprised that I was accepted to into the systems engineering course at Ft. Monmouth. I was prepared to continue other assignments in the field whether back to Germany, in the States or to Asia. Over the next year and half, I would experience the most grueling academic adventure of my life. It would not be fun. So much so that I would not pursue formal academic endeavors again. The systems engineering course was conducted by the Bell Company which had yet to split off into separate companies. Thus, we were taught by Bell Company of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The course material of the systems engineering course was very challenging, but the master’s course in business was a killer from New York Institute of Technology. It was a condensed course in order to get a master’s in a just over a year. It was nonstop study, tests, end a course, start a new course, over and over and over. I could barely keep up but did with the help from some of my classmates who were smarter than me. I completed the systems engineering course with no problem but failed my orals for my master’s which drove me back to intense study for one more shot to get it right. If I failed, it would be recorded in my military records. Thankfully, I passed on the second attempt. Regrettably, I currently have a bad taste for formal academics.

Nancy: We were grateful to live only 5 hours from home. We had a little garden in our “postage stamp” sized government quarters backyard. Once again, we exercised our gifts of hospitality as we hosted many friends and family, enjoyed the private military ocean beach at Sandy Hook, and brought friends to Massachusetts with us to taste the New England culture.

Jim was totally consumed with his MBA studies at NYIT as well as his military courses. He and his classmates formed study groups. Karen started kindergarten (Woodmere School) and first grade (Steelman School) while in Eatontown. She loved tap and ballet lessons. She developed a grace in her walking and had more balance through dance classes. Karen was started on allergy injections due to bee sting allergy. One day a neighbor rang our bell to tell us that our 5 year old Karen was walking down the street in my red negligee handing out money from my wallet. Oops!

61 Pete was rammed in the back while riding his hot wheels and had his neck torqued for a while. He loved anything with wheels! At age 3, he was diagnosed with mild pulmonic valve stenosis and that eventually disappeared.

Move #10: November 12, 1975 – December 4, 1975 From Eatontown, New Jersey to Woodbridge, Virginia Residence: 1408 Bayside Avenue, Apartment 6, Woodbridge, Virginia

Move #11: December 4, 1975 – July 20, 1979 From Woodbridge, Virginia to Marine Corps Base Quantico Residence: Quarters 4409A, Marine Corps Base, Quantico 22134 Military Installation: Marine Corps Base, Quantico Assignment: Instructor, Communications Officer School and Student, Marine Corps Command and Staff College

Jim: I yearned to go back to a combat unit where I belonged. But, it was not to be so. I was assigned to the Communications Officer School at Quantico, Virginia with the Marines. The last thing I wanted to do was to have anything to do with training; I already had enough. However, I would be on the other end now as an instructor to young lieutenants in the Marine basic school and mid-level officers recently returned from the field. Over time I actually found that I enjoyed teaching; this would carry over in future endeavors outside of the military. I remained at the school teaching for about 3 years and then went to the Marine Corps Command & Staff College, a field grade level course for those with the rank of Major and above. I had recently been promoted to Major and the decision to remain at Quantico and attend there made sense to me and to the assignment officer at the personnel center in Washington.

This time at Quantico was spiritual growth at a rapid pace. We attended bible studies and feasted on God’s Word. Our first study was the book of Romans. We can laugh now about how little we understood of what was being taught. God would give us only that which we needed for that special time. I learned to play the autoharp, a 36 string instrument. Steve Jennings, a fellow Marine captain, taught me scripture songs which I sing even to this day. Steve knew the value of writing God’s Word on my heart through music. To this day, I sing and worship with those songs learned so long ago.

Nancy: We were a bit anxious about being assigned with the Marines as we thought they were an aggressive group compared to Army folks. It was also a low point in our lives. Jim was exhausted from surviving oral exams for his MBA and all the

62 long weeks of intense studying. The migraine headaches continued to take a toll on my emotional and physical health. We were both feeling depleted in all ways.

We had to rent an apartment off base for 3 weeks until housing became available on Quantico Marine Corp base. I drove Jim in to work and the kids to and from school on base. After school, Karen and Pete would play in the park until Jim finished his day. I worked on stitching needlepoint Christmas stockings for Karen and Pete and years later it would be my joy to make one for each grandchild and our son and daughter in laws.

The 3 weeks spent in the Woodbridge apartment were fine except for the cockroaches. If one got up in the night and flicked on the light, they were all over the walls and would run for cover. Disgusting! Eventually, we had a garden on the base and the invisible chiggers from the grass would burrow themselves under any constrictive clothing we had on and cause intense itching. Southern bugs were a new adventure for us.

We bought Grama Winter’s 1956 Nash Rambler. It was yellow with a black roof, so we named it the “Yellow Jacket.” Jim was driving it on base one morning and a doe ran in front of it. The buck following her tried to jump over the car, but landed on the windshield in front of Jim. A passing hunter put the deer out of its misery. Jim was covered with glass, but not injured. Praise God! His driver’s door was also dented and the side window smashed as well as the windshield. The game warden of the base allowed us to keep the deer and we agreed to give him the hide. My friend, Christine Kline, and I cut up the deer and packaged it. It weighed 190 pounds undressed. It was an all day job for us, and we enjoyed many crock pot dinners trying to hide the identity of the secret meat from the kids. We didn’t know enough to grind in some suet with the burger meat and the kids knew it was deer meat when it felt like we were chewing rubber bands. Jim received many cards and notes from his classmates accusing him of killing Rudolph as it was close to Christmas when the accident happened.

We enjoyed many trips into Washington to the Smithsonian and historical sights, cherry blossom time, the Washington zoo, and the Marine Corp Birthday Balls.

Karen played baseball and soccer, and loved ice skating. She was in Brownies, took flute lessons, and played an orphan in the school play “Annie.”

Pete played soccer. Our new faith in Christ was tested when he accidentally cut off the tip of his thumb in a merry-go-round accident. It healed remarkably well

63 and his thumb is just a bit shorter and has a partial fingernail. They both attended Ashurst Elementary school on the Quantico Marine Corp Base.

Quantico was a very special assignment because we were loved into the Kingdom of God by godly praying believers and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jim and I became believers in 1977. Karen received Christ as her savior through the witness of her third grade Sunday school teacher in 1978. Pete followed Jesus a few months later at age 7. We enjoyed the OCF retreats at White Sulphur Springs, Virginia with our friends Lyn and Lynnie Neyman, our spiritual “parents.” We grew in faith through the home bible study groups, base chaplains, and started teaching Sunday School.

Move #12: July 20, 1979 – June 21, 1980 From Marine Corps Base Quantico to Magstadt, Germany Residence: Blumenstr. 35, 7031 Magstadt, Germany

Move #13: June 21, 1980 – September 23, 1982 From Magstadt, Germany to Patch Barracks, Germany Residence: Quarters 2408 C-4 Military Installation: Patch Barracks, Germany Assignment: Defense Communications Agency

Jim: The assignment to the Defense Communications Agency would be the transition between tactical communications with combat units to strategic communications with non-combat units. My division within the agency in Europe was to manage the engineering aspects of large terrestrial microwave systems which ranged from England to Turkey. Additionally, a group of highly technical Army and department of defense civilians managed the large satellite systems located on the east coast of the United States and in Europe. You could say that I steered the ship of activity to be completed with these senior level personnel. Trips into the field were rare and the five day work week was just fine with me. This would be a time of further growth in the spiritual walk with the Lord. Before arriving in Germany on this second tour, I was doing my daily three mile run at the Quantico Marine Corps Base. It was near the end of our assignment at Quantico. While running, a voice spoke to my spirit and indicated that I would put together a Sunday evening church service at the chapel on Patch Barracks. It was as clear and directive as any order I had been given. Frankly, I did not have a clue how it would all happen. After a month at Patch Barracks and attending the local chapel as our church home, Reverend Al Lavarone, an Episcopal priest who was the Protestant chaplain, asked me to put together a Sunday evening worship service. He wanted it to be more informal than

64 the morning worship service. I was stunned and reflected on how the Lord works. I never forgot that the Holy Spirit works in ways not common to man. I would never be a speaker at that service but only use my administrative skills to put it together. I asked local pastors and mature Christians to share the Word of God. I was too immature in my faith for such a task. The service went on for the three years of my assignment. People came to faith, bible studies developed and I grew in my faith under the teaching of godly men and women. I must share about the time of prayer. Within the Defense Communication Agency, I met another Christian, Captain Len Gates, United States Air Force, who was a seasoned brother in the Lord. Len and I met each week early in the morning before work in the attic area of our housing complex committed to one hour of prayer. We would say “good morning” and begin prayer for an hour. There was no explanation of what needed to be prayed for or needless talk, just began praying. I never forgot that lesson in prayer. Get to it.

Nancy: We loved Germany so much that Jim was granted his request for another tour. We had to wait for on base housing for 10 months. We lived in a second floor apartment over a factory in a small German town. There were other Americans in the complex also. We lived out of a few boxes as the majority of our possessions were in storage. Shopping was an adventure in the local shops. Roggenbrot (Rye bread) was a favorite bakery choice. The kids rode the bus to the Department of Defense School off base in Boeblingen. I also rode with them one day a week so I could volunteer at the school health room as a Red Cross nurse. Lockers at the school were stacked one on top of another. One morning as we arrived kids came screaming for me as one of the lockers fell on top of a little boy and split his head wide open. I assisted him as the field ambulance and medics carried him off to the hospital. I also had to get involved with a group of teen boys who terrorized the young children on the bus after they cussed me out as we rode one day. I had asked them to stop using bad language. They got kicked off the bus. One of the fathers came to the school to let me know his displeasure, and fortunately the principal intervened for me. The dads were in the field a lot and the children seemed to have a lot of anger in them.

There was a fire in the front area of our apartment building one evening in October. We all evacuated and were shivering and standing in the cold on the sidewalk. I was praying and anxious about friends not yet seen. I felt the hand of God pour a sense of warm oil all over me, and I was at peace and no longer shivering. He is so amazing!

The school on post was very crowded and Pete eventually ended up in a combined 4th/5th grade situation which was not healthy for him. We held him back one

65 year when we moved to New Jersey and his leadership qualities blossomed. Peter played soccer and joined Boy Scouts. One day he was so covered with mud from the soccer game that we just carried him to the basement and hosed him down in one of the large set tubs by the washing machines.

Karen excelled in German language and had a keen ear for it. She broke her right ulnar and radius in a skate board accident. She also played soccer and took tennis lessons. She continued in band and with her flute lessons and had a beautiful tone. Hours before we moved from Germany she was finishing up in a softball tournament.

I had a hysterectomy in the summer of 1980 back in the states, thinking the hormonal influence of the migraines would help, but it was not to be. When we returned, Jim surprised us with our first microwave.

In 1980 we attended the Oberamagau Passion Play with occurs only every 10 years. We all skied in Berchtesgaden with our friends the Osman’s. At a retreat in Switzerland we could ski down the slope right to the door of our hotel at the end of the day. The snow was light and powdery and the scenery of the surrounding Alps was breathtaking. Volksmarching was great fun as we walked in well-groomed paths from one town to another with water, beer, and bratwurst stops in between. One could choose a 5k or 10k walk and for a fee, a medal, decorative plate, or stein was given at the end of the march. I was active in the Officers Wives Club, Protestant Women of the Chapel, our OCF bible studies, and spiritual retreats. We traveled around Europe and hosted many family members and friends. We also took a few Space-A (space available) trips on Air Force planes such as C-140 and C-5’s.

Jim took voice lessons with Tom Carter who was our chapel choir director and a trained opera singer. He was a civilian and his wife had a position with the Red Cross. Jim worked very hard as Tom was a hard taskmaster, but he learned so much.

Perhaps, the highlight of our time in Germany came as we took a trip to Israel with a group from our chapel at Patch Barracks in May of 1982. Jim and I had never been baptized as believers and had the privilege of baptism in the Jordan River. It was a deeply spiritual week as we walked in the “Footsteps of Jesus.” Our group had a quiet time alone with no other groups in a room that was like the Upper Room. We sang and prayed and sensed the Lord’s presence. We took communion in a beautiful garden area. We stepped into a small carved area in the hillside and

66 saw the place like where Jesus might have been laid after His death. As we turned to leave, the plaque on the door said: “He is not here. He is risen as He said.” That message hit our hearts and brought tears of wonder and gratitude to us. It was another holy moment.

Move #14: September 23, 1982 – May 17, 1984 From Patch Barracks to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey Residence address: 21 Vaughn Court, Eatontown, NJ on Fort Monmouth Military Installation: Fort Monmouth, New Jersey Assignment: Joint Tactical Command, Control, Communication Agency (JTC3A)

Jim: My assignment at the JTC3A was still at the strategic level of communications except that it included command and control systems of the four Services (Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines). It was a complex duty with multiple briefings to general officers for items of equipment to be used by all the combined services. The idea was to develop common equipment for all at minimum cost. It was a great idea but the infighting among the services caused program delays and cost overruns. It was a frustrating assignment plagued with multiple layers of administrative bureaucracy. I was a Major at this time on the promotion list to Lieutenant Colonel. My desire was to become a Project Manager and make Colonel. I had the required experience and was slated to go to the required level school to achieve my objective. However, the phone call came from the personnel department in Washington. I was selected to command a recruiting battalion. I have no clue where this came from, and I objected strongly. They gave me two options: take the command or have a nice retirement. So, it was off to Little Rock, Arkansas to command the Little Rock Recruiting Battalion. During the time at Ft. Monmouth, another spiritual milestone occurred as I joined the ministry of The Gideons International, a professional and business association whose sole purpose is to bring people to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I relished the Saturday morning prayer times and the adventure of distributing God’s Word at schools and colleges. These early years of learning the ministry would be used years later when I retired from the Army. Also, there began 28 years of participation and directing what was called The Living Last Supper, a drama with lights, music and narrative that reflects Jesus’ disciples being made aware that one of them would betray Jesus. The chilling questions each one asked was, “Lord, is it I?” Playing one of the disciples, this would be the catalyst for follow-on presentations in three different churches over the span of 27 years.

Nancy: Back to Fort Monmouth! Unfortunately our storage that was left behind suffered a bad infestation of mold, so several items like mattresses were trashed. It was wonderful to be close to home once again and we took advantage of every opportunity to reconnect with family in Athol.

67 Jim and I worked in the chapel program and he was on the Council. Over the years, we had taught every grade in Sunday School and now were involved with the Jr. High Youth Group. The girls had Barbie dolls in one hand and makeup in the other. Transitions are interesting! I was Spiritual Life Coordinator for the chapel ladies.

In December 1982, I joined Mary Kay Cosmetics as my sister-in-law, Jo-Ann, was launching out into Directorship and building her unit. I came a long way from wearing pink frosted lip color and pale blue eyeshadow to teaching skin care and cosmetic application. It was an opportunity to learn and build a business and connect with other ladies in a new way.

I was visiting another consultant and she saw the pin on my coat that said, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” She said that I must be one of those “committed ones!” I said yes and asked her where she was. She revealed that she was the only one in her family that was not saved. I asked her if she was ready to give her heart to Jesus and she said that she was. We gathered in a circle holding hands with her two young children and prayed. Some plant, some water, and some harvest. How privileged it is to be allowed to harvest for the Lord. His Holy Spirit had prepared her heart.

We chose “Puffy,” a white kitty from the SPCA, and he brought us much joy in our very small government quarters. I was a library volunteer at the kids school, took a Hospice volunteer course, involved in the PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel), Red Cross volunteering, and we joined the Gideons International in 1983.

Pete was still active in Scouts, baseball, and basketball. He played Jim’s trombone in the band with his friend, John, for about 6 months. Trombone became a distant memory as soon as Pop Warner Football fever hit in 6th grade and he played for the next 6 years.

Karen continued in flute and band and softball. She was in the German Club, Ski Club, SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), and National Honor Society. We had a sweet sixteen cookout just before leaving for Arkansas. It was very tough to move in the middle of high school and leave all her friends.

Move #15: May 17, 1984 – August 7, 1985 self-move to 4 Hope Road, Eatontown on Fort Monmouth.

Jim: How refreshing it was to be able to move from a tiny apartment to an actual home. It would be the first and last time that would happen on a military installation. Other assignments caused us to live in the civilian community.

68 Nancy: We had the military house of our dreams when Jim was promoted. I learned to decorate the walls by using fabric “glued” on with liquid laundry starch. When it came time to move and clear the quarters, the fabric would be pulled off, the walls washed, and no damage would occur to the paint underneath. I also made curtains to coordinate with the wall fabric. We made every effort to make our quarters as homey as possible.

Move #16: August 13, 1985 – January 13, 1989 From Fort Monmouth, New Jersey to Little Rock, Arkansas Residence: 20 Eagle Rock Drive, North Little Rock, Arkansas Military Installation: United States Army Recruiting Command Assignment: Battalion Commander, Little Rock Recruiting Battalion

Jim: I did not know upon arriving and taking over the battalion that it was in an absolute state of demoralization. Recruiters throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, parts of Texas and Oklahoma (78,000 square miles) were threatened with dismissal if they did not make their quota of putting young men and women in the Army each month. It was a vicious cycle where some recruiters cheated and broke the rules of recruiting. The executive officer who took over command from the previous battalion commander (who committed suicide in his office) was belligerent and afraid of his superiors who heaped enormous pressure upon him. During the day of the change of command, I spoke to my recruiters saying that I would not run this battalion on the principles of the United States Army Recruiting Command but on biblical principles. No commander today would ever get away with such a comment. My words would travel to the ear of the two star general who ran the Army Recruiting Command. I was watched very closely, and my senior enlisted non-commissioned officer thought I was crazy. But, God was faithful. It was such an encouragement throughout my command to have Nancy cross stitch the bible verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:24: “Faithful is He who calleth you, who also will do it.” It would hang on the wall right in front of my desk. Yes, God was faithful. I recognized immediately that the men of my command needed to be valued. I never assaulted the character of the recruiters but only challenged their work ethic. Men and women responded to the call, being valued and knowing that a Christian commander was also a demanding commander to “make mission with integrity.” Many of my fellow commanders thought I was weak and not strong enough in forcing the recruiters to comply with rules and regulations. But, I knew I only needed to win their hearts for the work and hold them accountable. By the grace of God, we made recruiting fun. My normal work week was departing around noon on Monday travelling to recruiting stations throughout the 4 state area and be back to the battalion headquarters late Friday. Saturday was a work day and Sunday was rest with family and reviving in church

69 fellowship. It was a grueling schedule which sacrificed the family many times. In hind sight, this was a mistake. I would hear that Peter would be playing with a football in the front yard hoping that his Dad would be back to play with him. I never forgot that and realized my priorities were wrong. May my children forgive me. Over the next year and half, the battalion became number 1 out of 52 battalions in the nation and received a unit award for such achievement. Standing on the Arkansas capital steps with then governor Bill Clinton, the battalion was presented the Army Superior Unit Award. I was determined that if I could lead one battalion I could lead 5 battalions and asked that I be selected to lead a recruiting brigade. The commanding general of the recruiting command was in favor, but once again, the phone call would come indicating that I was selected to run an operations team at a national military command center. Like before, I objected. Like before, they gave me two options: accept the assignment or retire. I started to think that I had more fun being a captain in my earlier career than a colonel at the end.

Nancy: This was a hard move for Karen and Pete. Karen had finished 2 years of high school and established her circle of friends and security as a lovely teen. Pete was into football and not happy about the move either. We could not get into on base housing as there was no room, so we rented a house in the community. We arrived and the bank thermometer read 112 degrees. The nearby Arkansas River made the humidity intense. We were not accustomed to “civilian” living as this was our first move outside of the military community in many years. We felt the stigma of being “Yankees” from New Jersey. We kept it a secret that we were really from Massachusetts! Dad Lake was failing and we were way too far away to support him and Mother. To top it all off, Jim was sent to school for Recruiting Battalion Commanders in Indiana for 3 weeks. I ended up driving the kids to school for Pete’s 3 a day football practices and Karen’s band practices in the days before school started. We started out needing an “attitude adjustment.”

We found Cornerstone Bible Fellowship through an OCF contact and this fellowship met in a converted bowling alley. We connected immediately. Initially, I slipped into depression and laid on the couch and slept a lot after the kids entered school and Jim was on the road all the time. After 4 months, we went home for Christmas and I decided that it was time to get up and leave depression behind. I invited the ladies group to meet at our home for a while and eventually began to lead a ladies Precept study at the church.

Upon arrival, moral was very low in the battalion due to the negativity of the previous commander. The commander before him committed suicide. We launched a crazy logo with the men called “Rhino Recruiters!” I cross stitched medals with

70 rhinos for rewards and all kinds of paraphernalia developed as the momentum caught on. The integrity that Jim taught and modeled and the positive reinforcement catapulted the battalion to receive an award for the Outstanding Battalion in the country. Glory to God! We clung tightly to God’s promises in Ephesians 3:20 and 1 Thessalonians 5:24.

“…God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to His power at work in us. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” We prayed earnestly and God worked mightily in very challenging circumstances.

Karen continued in band playing the flute. Her friends were guy friends from band. She was selected to represent the band in the Miss Sylvan Hills pageant. God gave her a vision for her gown and it was made by a local seamstress. I sewed her casual outfit. She played her flute accompanied by Lee, our church pianist. She literally floated across the stage with such amazing poise. She came in a first runner up, second only to the winner who had been in pageants all her life.

Pete was big into football. He was tall and lean and had a couple of trips to the ER due to dehydration after the Friday night games. Just sitting in the stands caused one to be soaked with sweat in the high humidity. He suffered a fractured shoulder at one of his early games. When parents are called onto the field as we were, it’s obvious the outcome is serious. Fortunately, the shoulder was realigned under anesthesia and bracing without need for pinning.

Jim and I were in the Band Boosters and would clean the stadium after the football games. We wore long rubber gloves. The chewing tobacco spit cups were disgusting as many guys “chewed.” We would work one of the gates at the State Fair counting cars.

As college was approaching for Karen, thoughts entered about my return to work. I was now a Christian nurse. What was God’s will? I read an article in Reader’s Digest about Mother Teresa’s work with the dying. I felt the genesis of a call in this area. I took a Hospice volunteer course at St. Vincent’s Hospital. We were soon to move, so I did not begin to volunteer.

Move #17: January 13, 1989 – July 31, 1989 From 20 Eagle Rock Drive to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania Residence Address: 110 Walnut Street, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

71 Military Installation: National Military Command Center, Site R Assignment: Command Center Operations Chief for Operations Team One and as Chief, National Military Command Center, Site R

Jim: This assignment was an eye opener. Apparently, I was vetted carefully and given very high clearances to allow the completion of my responsibilities. Site R was a three story building located in the center of a mountain whose access was by road. The underground Alternate National Military Command Center was located in a portion of this building which was a backup to the National Military Command Center located in the Pentagon. Initially, I was chief for operations team one consisting of eight highly skilled officers and non-commissioned officers who were intimate with command center operations. We would rotate in and out of Site R every 3 or 4 days. Our purpose was to translate the orders of the President, Secretary of Defense or the Joint Chief of Staff into military orders for the operating forces throughout the world. Someone asked me how this job was different from recruiting. I explained that recruiting was like taking a test each month. It was starting at zero and trying to be a hero at the end of the month in making the mission or exceeding it by putting young men and women in the Army. The beginning of the next month you were back to zero, again trying to make the monthly mission. At the command center, it was hours upon hours of training for different situations with brief moments of stark terror when practice was put into action. In this business of a national command center, there could be no error. Having completed two years as operations chief of team one, I became the chief of the National Military Command Center at Site R.

Nancy: Jim left for his next assignment in PA and Peter and I stayed to finish his first semester in his junior year of high school. Both he and Karen attended Sylvan Hills High School. Karen worked the summer after her graduation in New Jersey and lived with friends. Jim and I cried all the way home after we left her at Nyack College in New York. It was a hard transition as we were separated by so many miles. During her time at Nyack, she formed a special bond with her Grama Phyllis Lake, then a widow, as they lived together when Karen worked 2 summers at Starrett’s. After two years at Nyack, Karen transferred to Messiah College in PA into the nursing program. She obtained her BSN and RN in 1993. We were only about an hour away and were able to help nurse her through her time of mononucleosis.

Move #18: July 31, 1989 – May 19, 1990 (Nancy and Pete) From Waynesboro, Pennsylvania to Little Rock, Arkansas Residence Address: 8815 Woodbine Apt #704, Sherwood, Arkansas

72 Jim: The move of Nancy and Pete back to Arkansas for his senior year was difficult for me. I would miss my family. Having Karen away at college left me alone in an empty apartment. I did make the commitment to attend Pete’s football games on Friday night. I traveled in our van from Waynesboro to Little Rock on a Thursday stopping at a rest area outside of Nashville, TN for sleep and then onward to Little Rock to arrive around Friday noon. I believe I did this about 7 times. It was challenging but well worth seeing my “boy” on Friday night play ball.

Nancy: I worked in downtown Little Rock at the American Red Cross Blood services program until Pete finished his senior year. I am sure that my long resume of Red Cross volunteering over many years helped to secure the job. I continued my Mary Kay business and we stayed connected with the church. Pete excelled in football and the Sylvan Hills Bears made it to the state playoffs. Unfortunately, Pete was in the hospital with dehydration from mono and mono hepatitis during the play-offs. He was awarded tight end player of the year of 4 schools in grade 11 and Basketball Homecoming Prince. He tore his ACL playing basketball a couple of years later and had surgery to repair it in PA. Karen helped nurse him right after surgery at her apartment in PA.

Another crisis occurred when one of the team’s football players, Malcom, accidentally shot himself while fooling around with a gun that he thought was not loaded. He was visiting in the neighboring apartment at the time of the accident. Pete was called over and held Malcom in his arms until the medical team arrived, but it was too late. The funeral was held in a tiny wooden church on the outskirts of a cotton field. Life is so fragile and these are the times we cling to God’s sovereignty very tightly. Pete graduated and was accepted at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. We lost him to the South! He received his Bachelors in Business Administration in 1995.

Move #19: May 29, 1990 – September 2, 1993 From Sherwood, Arkansas to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania (Nancy and Pete)

Jim: I was glad that my family returned home. I missed Nancy so much and knew that Pete would be going to college soon. I remember taking Karen to Nyack College leaving her and crying as I knew another chapter was closed and a new one was to begin. I thought it is tough being a parent.

Spiritually, this was another milestone as Nancy and I became very close friends with David Keener who was pastor of South Mountain Bible Church, his wife, Janet,

73 and with Dr. Peter Hinterkopf and his wife, Mimi, of Waynesboro. It would be Peter and Mimi, who would invite us to that church one Sunday that would develop into a lasting relationship between the six of us. We were like-minded in Christ and with children of the same ages, we bonded together. The common thread of the wives were that all three were nurses. Then, put together a pastor, general surgeon, and colonel and you get quite mixture of life experiences.

Nancy: We connected with South Mountain Bible Fellowship through Pete and Mimi Hinterkopf, Precept leader contacts there. I inquired about a Hospice in the area and was directed to Lutheran Social Services (LSS). God’s call to terminal care became very loud. Karen was in college and Peter was on his way, so I prayed about helping to contribute to their needs.

My interview at LSS was honest. I had no experience, but had a huge desire and a willingness to learn. It was decided to give it a 90 day trial, first learning home care nursing and then transitioning into terminal care. By God’s grace, it was a good fit and He opened wide this door. There was so much to learn, but basic skills came back and new ones were learned. The work was arduous in all areas of my physical and emotional life as well as sacrifices made in my family life. My gift of encouragement and compassion were well utilized. Mercy was overdone at times and self-care was lacking for years in my personal life. The rewards were great. Christ and prayer were allowed if patients and families were open. “Holding forth the Word of life” was written into the job description at this agency. It was truly a gift and privilege to come alongside hundreds of precious dying people and their grieving loved ones during a very sacred process.

During this time, we enjoyed being close to Karen as she studied at Messiah College and lived nearby. She had just finished a three week “J” term and contracted mono. The clinical practice was synchronized with the college courses, so she had to step out of the program and wait a year to pick up where she left off. Mono has such a debilitating course of long term fatigue. During this time, she took a CNA course and worked as an aide. It was valuable to her nursing career as she developed caregiving skills and a respect for those doing the hard basic care. She is a real advocate for her patients and, like her mother, has a heart for bedside nursing. She eventually went on to gain her Master’s degree in Health Education from Pennsylvania State University.

Move #20: September 2, 1993 – present From Waynesboro, Pennsylvania to Athol, Massachusetts Assignment: Retirement Residence address: 799 South Main St. Athol, Massachusetts

74 PART SIX

SWEETHEART’S SALVATION

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (ESV)

75 CHAPTER 9 James Arthur Lake

It is appropriate that within this reflection, I share my testimony of coming to know my Savior, Jesus in a personal way. In our move to Quantico Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, I would be profoundly changed spiritually. I was assigned to the Communications Officer School to be the token Army staff member to teach basic and mid-level communications to company grade officers (second lieutenants to captains). At that time, I was a Captain. Upon arriving at my duty assignment, I met Major Lyn Neyman, United States Marine Corps, who would be my office mate. During our first time together and introducing each other, I remember Lyn asking a question: “I bet you like to go to bible study?” Trying to respond to such an awkward question from a slim trim Marine, I began to tell him of all the wonderful things I did in the Methodist Youth Fellowship from reading scripture once or twice, playing the hymns on the piano, and doing youth events. It did not take long for Lyn to profile me as a lost soul caught up in the works of the church with little relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ. It would be a year of Lyn loving me into the kingdom of God. He would put a scripture on my desk from time to time that would cause me to think of my relationship with Jesus. We would talk about the things of the Lord, but he was never pushy. It would be about a year later that Lyn and his wife, Lynne, would ask us to go on a weekend retreat with the Officers’ Christian Fellowship to Harrisonburg, Virginia at the Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center. Nancy and I drove alone travelling over the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to the center where we would meet Lyn and Lynne. They were always at our side during the weekend and would walk us through the weekend with love and grace, responding to our questions. Somehow, they would disappear for a while when it was good for Nancy and I to be alone and ponder the music, the speakers, and testimonies that were given. How clearly I remember Dr. Hudson T. Armerding, past president of Wheaton College, who took to the stage with bible in hand, read a passage, and expounded upon it. I marveled that anyone could do that without notes or prepared dialogue. On Sunday, Nancy and I attended the testimony time before the church service where Captains, Majors and Lieutenant Colonels gave testimony of how Jesus changed their lives. I was amazed; how can they do this? All the time, God was tugging at my heart. During the worship service, Nancy and I sat way in the back listening to the hymns and trying to sing them, but there were only tears streaming down my face as I read the words and heard the beautiful music. God was tugging at my heart; the Holy Spirit was doing His work in my being. We left the Neymans on Sunday after lunch and drove home again over the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was our intent that we would stop at one of the rest areas

76 overlooking the beautiful landscape to dig up some white violets and take them back to plant around our house where we lived on base. It did not matter that this act was in violation of federal law; I rationalize just moving one piece of federal property to another was okay. We eventually stopped on that rest area up on the Blue Ridge Mountain. I got out of car and then it happened. I looked at the white violets on the ground, I saw the beautiful valley below me and turned to see a lone June Pink bush behind me. It was at this moment that a swirl of thoughts flooded through my soul remembering things Lyn had shared with me, insights from the conference, and the holiness of God in what He created which was right before my eyes. I do not know why all these things came together to finally declare before God that I was willing to follow Jesus, that I was someone who had messed up my life and needed Jesus to pardon me before a Holy God. I said I would try to follow what Jesus wanted me to do. There were no lightning flashes nor audible sounds but a deep reassurance that I had made the right decision to follow Jesus. Oh, by the way, I stole the violets and took them back to Quantico. God caught His fish; now would begin a life journey of cleaning it. Years have passed and I reflect on my decision for Christ. These insights follow: first, Lyn loved me enough to share the Word over a long period of time. Friendship evangelism is so very important. Second, the Holy Spirit works in marvelous ways which we cannot image. Third, there was no condition to my salvation, just a willingness to accept Jesus and be willing to be a piece of clay to be molded in the Master’s (God’s) hand. Fourth, God provides building blocks for salvation such as teaching, music, and gathering of believers together such as conferences, church families, and small care groups who worship together.

77 CHAPTER 10 Nancy Carroll (Williams) Lake

Going to church was always a part of my life. Because I could not tolerate a car ride even 5 miles to go to church with Mom in Orange, John and I walked to the Starrett Memorial United Methodist Church. I loved the beautiful, huge stained glass window of Jesus carrying a lamb in His arms. I remember my faithful Sunday School teachers, memorizing Psalms, and the fun times at MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship). The youth created some lovely worship times in the adjoining chapel of the main sanctuary. As a senior in high school, I was given the privilege of presenting the message at Youth Sunday. All my words were right on biblically, but at the time I did not realize that I only had a “head” knowledge of the Lord. I truly loved God, but did not know Jesus.

One encounter that I experienced as a young teen came on a cold, crisp moonlit night. The snow was fresh and sparkling like millions of diamonds in the “moonshine.” I was walking the path between my grandparent’s home and our apartment on Allen Street. I was suddenly gripped with the beauty of the moment and fell to my knees. There was no doubt that I was seeing a glimpse of the Creator God’s glory!

After Jim and I married and moved from place to place, we sporadically attended services at the military chapels. We arrived at the Quantico Marine Corp Base in 1976. Jim came home and announced that we were going to attend a bible study at the home of our friends, Lyn and Lynnie Neyman. I thought that was strange as we went out to Happy Hour at the club on Friday nights. I went rather reluctantly with some anxiety as I really did not know what to expect. We were drawn to this dear couple as they had a peace and joy that was different and magnetic. Our neighbors, Kappy and Charles Stanfield, were often asking us to go with them to their church. Obviously, people were praying for us.

We began to attend and the study was in Romans. We had never really studied the Bible or seriously read the Word of God. It was all a mystery to us at first. We did a lot of listening, absorbing what we could as the Holy Spirit began to open our understanding.

There were many young Marines and their wives seeking and studying together. God was doing an amazing work of drawing hearts to Him during this time. I knew these people had a joy and love that drew Jim and I to them. They had something special that we did not have. We often say that we were “loved” into the kingdom

78 of God by them. Navy chaplains, Dean Cook and Herb Bergsma, were instrumental as well in our spiritual growth.

During the evening service one night, Chaplain Cook remarked “when we all get to heaven” and went on with his message. That little phrase stopped me cold. How did he know that he was going to heaven? After we arrived home, I asked Jim if he knew if he was going to go to heaven. He said he did. We pulled out the oversized free white Bible that decorated our coffee table and purchased as newlyweds. He opened to John 3:16 and read the verse: “God so loved the world (Nancy) that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” The Holy Spirit confirmed that what Jesus said was true and His promise was for me. I believed with all my heart and became His child. Head knowledge became a heart relationship! I even grew fingernails and left nail biting behind.

We had great Sunday evening services at the post chapel in addition to the Sunday morning worship. Chaplain Cook taught a series on “Divine Healing” and held a healing service at the conclusion. I eagerly participated in the healing service. By this time the migraine headaches were causing me a great deal of misery. Jesus had become my Rock and Hope.

We continued in weekly bible studies and grew in our faith through the Officers’ Christian Fellowship (OCF) in Quantico. Our group split into 3 or 4 other groups. God called many into the active ministry as officers left the Marines. We sought out OCF groups in every move we made and found instant friends, a feeling of belonging, and support. A couple of years after our conversion, we moved to Germany. I attended a Ladies Worship and Study weekend led by Kay Arthur. This was a huge milestone in my spiritual walk. The inductive study of the Bible and her powerful teaching whetted my appetite to do likewise.

I had just started to take oil painting lessons from a German master artist in the post where we lived in Stuttgart. There was an unexpected opportunity to take the Precept Inductive method of teaching, but it conflicted with the timing of the painting lessons. I chose the Precept training and have been eternally blessed. It was a joy and challenge to lead many Precept classes in the years ahead.

Our family has a history of debilitating migraine headaches. My mother, Lois, was afflicted. She remembers my grandfather, Arthur Williams, lying on the couch with a cloth over his eyes. Our son, Peter, also suffers from them. My first attack occurred about the age of 14 when the hormones started. I remember experiencing blinding visual changes and projectile vomiting and calling my grandmother to the

79 apartment to help me as Mom was working. The headaches worsened as I worked in ICU and surgery as a young RN. Stress and fatigue and sleep interruptions from erratic schedules contributed to my misery.

Friends would take Karen and Peter out of the home from time to time as I laid low in a dark bedroom with icy cloths on my head, severe pain and vomiting for days. At the height of the affliction, I had only one good week a month when the hormones calmed temporarily. All the preventive medications, food diets, and natural methods did not help a great deal. Many years later, Imitrex injections followed by oral tablets brought relief and improved my quality of life. Thankfully, trips to the ER ceased, but the frequency of the headaches did not abate.

I lost weight and felt I was in a dark and lonely place. No one can truly understand the effects of a chronic illness that is not outwardly visible. I became dependent on pain killers for a time, using 2 different pharmacies for meds. That frightened me and was able to stop when I realized that I was headed for addiction. At one point, I thought about ending my life with pain killers when the children were older. Before Christ was real to me, I felt the hopelessness of being in the bottom of a deep, dark well.

After I came to Christ, I prayed and studied much about divine healing. I attended many healing services and was anointed with oil and prayed over by fellow believers. The Lord encouraged me through His Word and others who brought meals and helped with the children. It was hard for Jim, but he was most understanding and patient. None of us liked to have plans interrupted and many times we were angry at this situation that was beyond our control.

At a ladies prayer meeting in November 1978, the Lord spoke to me: “I am healing you.” I was encouraged, but no outward evidence was seen. He spoke again a year later on a plane as I travelled from Germany to the USA to see an allergy specialist at Yale New Haven. Praising Him as I looked out the window at the beautiful cloud formations, He said: “Daughter, you are healed. Your faith has made you whole.” Once again, no visible healing was seen. Like Mary, I pondered these words in my heart for years, trusting that God would someday bring to pass what He promised. I cried out to Him one day when we lived in Magstadt, Germany, asking what His will was for me in this suffering. He said, “Be whole.”

I continued to wait and stopped going to healing services as I felt they were no longer needed. After all, God promised healing. I needed to walk in faith and trust Him. As I studied Hebrews for a Precept study, God showed me Hebrews 10:36.

80 “You have need of endurance.” This was a wonderful revelation that God was working endurance in me. When His work was complete, He would give me His promise of healing. Even if it did not come this side of heaven, I could rest in Him and accept His timing! During the years of waiting, I learned endurance and God built His faith in me. Questions came. “Why did this happen?” “Am I being punished for my sins?” “How can this be used for His glory?” Many other issues were worked through as God brought me to a place of absolute surrender and acceptance of His sovereign will.

The healing came 32 years after the promises of God. I had developed an erratic atrial heart beat during the strenuous care of my Mom as we journeyed through her time of Lewy Body dementia. After her death, the problem continued, so I met with a cardiologist. The cardiac workup revealed no real issues. He recommended a beta blocker medication (Toprol XL) to control the irregular beat. After taking the medication for a couple of months, I noticed that the migraines were significantly diminished and the erratic heartbeat became controlled. After a few years on the medication, I now experience only a handful of migraines a year instead of 5 a month. Glory to God! I am forever thankful to Him for allowing this affliction because He used it to draw me to Himself and has taught me much through it.

Psalm 107 is a parallel story of my spiritual and physical healing. I cried out to Him in my distress. My soul was fainting within me. I was a prisoner in my misery, dwelling in darkness and in the shadow of death. I had rebelled against the words of God, afflicted and at my wits end. I cried out to the Lord in my troubles. He sent His Word and healed me. He delivered me from my destructions. He satisfied my thirsty soul and filled me with His goodness. He has redeemed me, blessed me, and I have come to know His lovingkindness and forgiveness. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” is my beloved hymn. I praise Him for all eternity!

81 82 PART SEVEN

NORTHBOUND

Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Psalm 37:5 (NASB)

83 CHAPTER 11 Called Back Home

Jim: The decision needed to be made. Were we going to stay in Pennsylvania upon retirement or move back to Massachusetts? The decision making process began in 1992 approximately one year before my retirement on September 30, 1993. It was a difficult decision because we were intimately involved in a growing church, loved our community in which we lived, and the milder seasonal weather of Pennsylvania was very attractive. Karen was studying at Messiah and lived very close by. However, the situation up north in Massachusetts was deteriorating as my mom was having more difficulty with health issues. It became clear that we would move back to Athol to take care of both our mothers. A major renovation to the old homestead was started in October 1993. The only casualties were my fall off a ladder resulting in a broken wrist and sore ribs and Nancy’s finger broken when caught in the garage door. We both had stitches then as well and the accidents happened a week apart. As the renovation was completed in March of 1994, we dedicated our home to the Lord for His use, and He has certainly enlarged and developed the gift of hospitality through us to others.

We were so looking forward to being with Mom, meeting her needs and fellowshipping together where we had little during the 26 years away from home. It was not to be. Mom died 7 months before we returned. It was a bitter pill for each of us to swallow. We each felt we had been robbed of something so very special. We worked through our emotions with the Lord and clung to His sovereignty. Nancy’s mom was in good health and remained that way for several years before we would eventually care for her in our home for 6 years with the love of her daughter holding her hand as she passed into the loving arms of Jesus. During those years between settling back in Athol in 1993 to the time of intensive caring for Mother Lois, life was very full with activities. We made a conscious decision that Nancy would work full time as a hospice nurse, and I would stay at home and not engage in full time work. The toll of doing hospice work over a long period of time was huge and required full support from the other spouse. However, I would volunteer in community activities. It included sitting on the Salvation Army Advisory Board, Board of Directors of the North Quabbin Citizen Advocacy, and Board of Directors of the former Athol-Clinton Co-operative Bank (now bank Hometown). Although I said I would not work, I did do some part time work for the O’Connor-Higgins Funeral Home in Athol.

84 When we returned to Athol, we needed to decide where we would go to church. Both of us attended the Starrett Memorial Methodist Church growing up in Athol. We were married there, had both our children baptized there and both of my parents were lifelong members. It was assumed from the church members who knew we were returning that we would return to our church family. It was not to be. We had learned in our spiritual growth while in the military that the preaching of the Word of God was most important in evaluating a church; it was the crucial beginning point. It was clear upon returning that the Athol-Orange Baptist Church provided such teaching, and we made the decision to make it our church family. We never regretted that decision. I would spread myself out and be involved in missions, leading hymns in worship, be a member of the deacon board, eventually becoming an elder, and director of a seasonal drama called The Living Last Supper.

Nancy: I had a job waiting for me when we retired to Athol. The Community Health Services hospital based Hospice program had been newly certified and was waiting for a Hospice nurse. I was blessed to be offered this position. After 6 years, the program closed and was taken over by Gardner VNA, so the care for the area communities continued. Learning laptop computers was torturous at first. I was so grateful to Mom for encouraging me to take typing in high school.

After 18 full years in Hospice work, I shifted to family care. Mom Lois, during her divorce process, came to live with us at the age of 83. During her 5th year with us, she developed Lewy Body dementia and went on Hospice 4 months before her death in our home. Her last 10 months of care was intense with 24 hour monitoring in our home. John died 7 months before Mom, also on Hospice after being home from the hospital for 3 days. I had been fully involved with his care and also Pam. She had broken her shoulder and the COPD was advancing, so there were many challenges helping to care for both them, along with Mom.

After Mom and John died in 2009, Jo-Ann was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and fought for two and a half years before she died in 2012, also on Hospice. She had good support from Roy and her family. Pam continued to decline and died in the spring of 2013 in the hospital. Jim and I faced many challenges with executorship of Pam and John’s will and the sale of their home to Jamie, their son. Home care dynamics for our handicapped niece eventually did not work out, so she moved to a group home and we are still active in her well-being.

God sustained us during this exhausting period of over 5 years. We gratefully accepted the prayers of the saints on our behalf and learned to be humble receivers of other’s blessings to us. We were big “givers,” but not so good “receivers.”

85 I continue to serve on the Diaconate of the Athol Orange Baptist Church, Women’s Ministry, lead a ladies bible study, help with VBS, and do some parish nursing. We have hosted an evening bible study in our home for many years using the OCF model of beginning with praise songs, study the Word of God, have a time of prayer, and end with refreshments. Our involvement in The Gideons International is very active. Life is full! I also support Jim with his many volunteer endeavors in the community and our church fellowship. My job is to keep up with my “Energizer Bunny Rabbit” husband!

Two years after we returned to Athol and completed a major home renovation, Karen was settled in PA and became engaged to Mark Fake. It caused quite a comedy in the hospital where Karen worked when announced that a Lake was marrying a Fake! They were married here in Athol on May 20, 1995 at the Starrett Memorial United Methodist Church where Jim and I were married. Karen had my wedding gown redesigned at Aliber’s Bridal shop where the gown was originally purchased in 1967. A lovely reception was held at the Winterwood Bed and Breakfast in Petersham after the evening wedding. She and Mark renovated their turn of the century Victorian home in Mechanicsburg, PA where they live today. Mark is gifted with construction skills and did most of the work himself. He loves to cook and has provided care at home for the children thus avoiding daycare. Karen continues to work in nursing full time. We are blessed by grandchildren Amber, Kyle, Wyatt, and Kenna.

Peter met Rebecca King toward the end of their college years at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. They became engaged within 12 days of Mark and Karen’s engagement. The wedding occurred 5 weeks after Mark and Karen’s on June 24 in Little Rock. We warned them not to have their first babies too close to each other! There was also a college graduation in Arkansas in the mix a week before the May 20 wedding. Rebecca became a teacher and is gifted in art. Unfortunately, Peter and Rebecca suffered a broken marriage and divorced after 19 years in December 2014. Through this trial, Pete has grown in his faith walk with Christ and co-leads a recovery group for other men who are suffering brokenness in relationships. He works for the city of Lewisville, Texas. We are also blessed by grandchildren James, Charlece, and Sam who all live in Texas.

I have a page in my prayer journal for Karen and Pete. When they left home for college, I made a prayer card for each of them. Their picture was placed at the top of the card. For both I wrote in the scripture from Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1:28 “I have dedicated Karen/Peter to the Lord; as long as she/he lives, she/he is dedicated to the Lord.” As imperfect parents, we dedicate ourselves to train them

86 up in the way they should go and trust God for the result.

Then I wrote scriptures that applied to them individually and prayed them back to the Lord. This helped my grief about missing them and helped me to let them go. A favorite plaque I have says: “A mother holds her children’s hands for a while, their hearts forever.”

Now each one of our dear 7 grandchildren, affectionately called “Flakes,” has a special day of the week to be prayed for starting with James, the oldest, on Sunday, then Amber on Monday, Charlece on Tuesday, Kyle on Wednesday, Wyatt on Thursday, Sam on Friday, and ending with Kenna, the youngest, on Saturday.

With James and Amber in college and Charlece headed there this fall, they are not so little any longer. Every 4th of July week, we endeavor to all get together here in Athol for a time of fun and reconnecting with each other. It has been our joy to visit York Beach, Short Sands, during this time. In earlier years, we would rent a house for a week and Mom Lois would join us. The kids enjoy our local lakes, fishing, eating, trips to Boston, camping, canoeing, tubing down a river, the fire pit, and playing on the ledges and in the woods around our home.

We love bringing the grandchildren to the Gideons International conventions to grow in their faith and meet kids from other lands. One year Kyle was able to use his Spanish to help us interpret for a couple from Paraguay that we hosted for supper.

87 CHAPTER 12 The Gideons International

Nancy: I received my pocket white covered Nurses Testament at my graduation in 1965. It hid in the back of my dresser drawer for many years. As a new believer, I pulled it out and began to carry it with me. The pages were falling apart, so I wrapped it around with an elastic to keep it together. An Auxiliary friend, Tilley Cox, gave me a new one in Germany. I travelled home to the USA from Germany for a medical visit and the Lord sat me next to a dear man. He had just buried his mother in Romania and was full of grief. We talked about the Lord for many hours. I showed him the helps in the front of my testament which encouraged him. Naturally, I gave him my testament. My friend, Tilley, gave me another when I returned.

We moved to New Jersey. The lines in the commissary were long. As I waited in line, I chatted with a woman and we shared how we made chicken soup and other small talk. She had been a widow for 5 years and her burden of grief was magnified during the holidays. We walked out into the parking lot together, and I gave her my medical testament and showed her the helps in the front. We hugged and parted.

Now I had a dilemma. I knew no one in New Jersey to contact for another testament, and I really wanted one. Jim and I sent a contribution check to the Gideons International along with a letter requesting another medical testament for me. They wrote back and explained that the testament would have to be presented by another Auxiliary, not mailed. Someone would contact us soon. It wasn’t long before Jim and I were having lunch with a Gideon and his wife. I received another testament, they shared about the ministry, and we signed our applications that very day.

It has been a growing and rewarding time for us and the beginning of a long and wonderful adventure. Now, we continue to be active in the Gideon ministry, and I have been on the state cabinet for many years. I have traveled to many states in the country giving my nurse testimony at Auxiliary luncheons during conventions and once at the International Convention in Birmingham, Alabama. Jim and I speak as called to various Gideon and Auxiliary meetings now in New England. We love encouraging the body of Christ and doing distributions.

88 Jim: We probably could have glossed over this chapter of our life regarding our involvement with The Gideons International. However, there is story to be told. We had joined the ministry back in 1983 at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey as Nancy has written and would participate for about a year and half before receiving our orders to Germany. For almost 12 years until retirement, our involvement with the “doing” of the ministry was nil. Upon retiring and associating ourselves with a local camp (a camp consists of Gideons and their wives who cover a geographical area), we re-engaged with the ministry with great joy. After moving 20 times in 26 years, we both thought that world travel would come to an end except for vacations once in a while to a distance place. For me this was not to be as I fully engaged myself in the ministry of The Gideons International. I accepted leadership at the lowest level of the organization and in a relatively short period of time became a Trustee overseeing Gideons in New York and New England and sat on the International Cabinet with 23 other men responsible for the ministry in over 190 countries around the world. This task kept me busy with travel to meetings, events, etc. 42 of 52 weekends of the year. Travels during this 6 year period of time would take me to Kenya, India, Nigeria, China, Argentina and Korea. There would be multiple trips to some of these countries working on special projects for the Gideons and on others participating in or leading massive bible distributions. Although international travel had diminished, there would be the continued ministry of visiting and assisting Gideons throughout the New England and New York area.

As strange as it seems, I was once in the U.S. Army traveling multiple times and now found myself in the Lord’s Army traveling multiple times. What an adventure for the both of us as we partnered together in The Gideons International. I was profoundly affected by my first international bible blitz to Kenya where massive amounts of scriptures were distributed in the western providence of the country (see Appendix D for testimonies). The intense travel for the Gideons has diminished over the years, but I continue to concentrate on the most fundamental element of the association which is the local camp. I thank God for allowing me to be in the ministry, for it has taught me how to share Christ with others, be strong and courageous, and learn how to walk in faith.

89 90 PART EIGHT

PROTECTED

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:11 (NASB)

91 CHAPTER 13 Angel Encounters

We have been gifted with glimpses of God’s hand in those events that cause us to pause and think deeply about the fragile nature of our earthly lives. Jim and I have encountered some God saving life events that give us fresh reminders of His protection and presence.

We believe in angels!

Jim:

The Well – It was the day Roy saved me. As a young teen, I was exploring one of our four wells on our home property when I fell into one of them. Holding onto the stone lining of the well in 15 feet of water, I yelled for help. Roy, who was sunbathing on this summer day outside the house far from his ability to hear my yelling, suddenly realized something was wrong. He jumped up, ran in my direction, and came right to the well. I remember with great relief my strong brother pulling me up out of the well. We both marvel at how this happened.

Command Bunker – Sitting on top of the 25th Aviation Battalion command bunker in Chu Chi, Vietnam, I watched with another soldier as the incoming mortar rounds from the enemy were landing closer and closer to the bunker. Diving into the bunker for safety expecting the next round to hit the complex, there was silence. No more rounds. Many stories are told of soldiers who find God in the foxhole; I was on the road to finding Jesus in the bunker that night. I was thanking Him for saving my life.

The Angel Behind the Counter – Having completed a bible distribution in China, I was returning on my trip to the United States. During the last part of the trip, I came down with food poisoning and was trying to recover. Totally weak and hardly able to take one step in front of the other, I began the 30 hour trip back home. It began at a regional airport 70 miles west of Shanghai where we were delayed multiple times in getting out. This put connecting flights back to Hartford, Connecticut in jeopardy. Reaching Shanghai International Airport late, my scheduled flight should have taken off. However, as I walked up to the ticket counter, I was told by a gracious, young Chinese travel agent that the flight had been delayed an hour. I would make this scheduled flight. However, she had to make adjustments as I would miss my connecting flight at Chicago International Airport on my way to

92 Hartford. I apologized for my inability to answer questions quickly as I shared my story of the food poisoning. She smiled and was very kind in response to my situation. There was a look about her that brought peace and calm to my situation. Once she had my documents processed, she stood up and said, “Mr. Lake, please don’t tell anyone, but I have upgraded you to business class. Have a nice day.” I said to her as she gave me the documents, “You are an angel from heaven. Thank you so much!” She had a remarkable smile as I walked away and thought there is something very different about her. Upon boarding the plane, I went to my appointed seat for the 15 hour trip back to the States. As the doors of the aircraft were closed, the other two seats beside me were empty; the rest of the plane was full. This “angel” as I like to call her moved other people around so I could use the other two seats to lay down and sleep all the way to Chicago. I cannot help but think it was an angel that protected me that day.

The Headlights – While on assignment with The Gideons International in Nigeria, we were traveling from the city of Jos in the north to the city of Port Harcourt in the south. It was a day long trip with arrival in the evening hours. Just short of our arrival, a car veered into our lane heading straight toward us in what was expected to be a head-on crash. Just short of making contact, the car swerved away nearly missing us. For those few short seconds, I expected that I would be meeting Jesus. My life was spared. I asked Nancy whether anyone was praying for my safety at that time, and she would respond that there were those praying at that moment. I am convinced God protected.

Nancy:

Karen’s Angel – We were in Heidelberg at a castle illumination by the river. I was 2 weeks from delivering Pete. Karen was 2. We gathered on a bridge next to a busy street. All of a sudden Karen darted between 2 parked cars and headed into the traffic. I jumped off the wall where I was sitting and grabbed the back of her dress and pulled her to safety. I felt the hot air of a passing bus narrowly missing her with its back wheels. I saw a nun in the bus standing and making the sign of the cross. God spared her life and we are eternally grateful for His intervention. We ponder how many times God has protected us in unseen ways.

Cornfields – I was in PA returning home around midnight after being called out as a Hospice nurse. As I travelled along a long, straight 2 lane roadway with cornfields on either side, I noticed an oncoming car weaving back and forth in the distance. As the car approached, it barreled straight for me, headlight to headlight in my lane. Both sides of the roadway were protected by guardrails, so there was no escaping off the road. 93 I remember relaxing and thought that this was my last moment on earth, and I was going to be going to the Lord. I truly felt the peace that passes all understanding in that fraction of time. I knew I was secure in His hands. At the last instant, the other car swerved away. There was no sound of metal crashing or scraping - only quietness and amazement. I knew His hand had intervened. When our purpose on earth is done, God will take us home. Obviously, He still had purpose left for me and I embraced a very humble reminder of His sovereignty.

The Bridge in a snowstorm – My friend Sheila and I were on our way to a ladies retreat in Gardner MA. It was snowing fairly heavily, but we were carefully moving without difficulty on the 2 lane divided highway until we encountered the bridge. As I drove across the bridge, we began to lose control due to a sudden heavy coating of icy slush. The back end spun around and hit the guard rail on the left, turned, and headed straight for the guard rail on the right. I realized that there was a possibility that we could go up and over the rail and down onto the roadway below us. I remember calling out, “Help, Jesus!” After the front end hit the guard rail, we continued to complete the 360 degree spin and were still moving in the forward direction. The car seemed okay and was still running, so we continued on a couple of more miles to our destination. The front and back ends were cracked and broken like an eggshell and some serious repairs were needed, but we were fully intact. Forever friends were not to be friends in death this time! We thanked the Lord for His angels about us! How fragile this earthly life is. It truly is a gift!

94 PART NINE

VALENTINE’S DAY CARDS

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;…

Song of Solomon 6:3 (ESV)

95 CHAPTER 14 Sweetheart Forever Notes

We finally broke the code on how to give Valentine’s Day cards to each other. We picked out an appropriate card for each other and wrote in each card and gave it to each other to enjoy and relish. The next year we would use the same card and enter thoughts about each other and so on each year until there was no more room on the card. Then, we chose a new card and did the same thing over and over. This is a great way to save cost on a card, yet cherish the thoughts from year to year of our messages to each other. The following is a reflection of our thoughts which I trust will continue to show our deep love for each other.

To Nan from Jim 2008 – “For her worth is far above rubies…strength and honor are her clothing… husband blesses and praises her.” Proverbs 31. I Love You! Sweethearts forever!

2009 – “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:26-27. How blessed I am to have you in my life. I Love You! Sweethearts forever! Jim

2010 – “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” Song of Solomon 6:3. I look at your external and internal beauty – blessed by the woman of my heart who is my mate. The one who cares for and loves me just the way I am. Who could ask for anything more than a wife like-minded in Christ knowing we shall live forever with our Jesus?” You are my sweetheart and I love you! We are – sweethearts forever! Jim

2011 – “Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.” Proverbs 31:25. My Yankee woman is strong and courageous, always abounding in the work of the Lord. You are my treasure – I love you deeply! Jim

2012 – “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; you have made my heart beat fast with a single glance of your eyes.” Song of Solomon 4:9. Our recent dance together and that “single glance of your eyes” just like our first dance made “my heart beat faster!” I am so blessed that you are my bride! I Love You! Sweethearts forever! Jim

96 2013 – As I reflect upon our years together, they just get better and better. Our relationship grows deeper and deeper each day. Yes, you are as stated in Proverbs 31:10–12: “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.” How blessed I am to have an excellent wife who loves me and cares for me. I Love You! Sweethearts forever! Jim

2015 – Continually, I thank the Lord for the woman in my life. You have been such a lover, friend, counselor and helpmate to me over these many years together. As we age we have drawn closer to each other and closer to the Lord. It has been a beautiful partnership with Christ in the center. You are beautiful on the outside and inside; what more could a guy want? No more – I am the most blessed of men. So, my sweet valentine, I love you! Sweethearts forever, Jim

2016 – How blessed with those beautiful brown eyes, shapely body and beautiful spirit of Christ that reigns within you. How blessed to have a mate who loves me regardless. How blessed to walk together hand in hand with Jesus. How blessed to live together in harmony without discord and confusion. How blessed to love each other unconditionally. How blessed to simply have each other. I am blessed to have you as my own, my love, my sweetheart forever. My love to you on this Valentine’s Day! Sweethearts forever, Jim

2017 – 50 years and 50 valentines are showering you with love this day. You are my soul mate, lover and closest friend. Like minded in Christ, journeying together into eternity is a wonderful blessing from our Father God. He brought us together, heaven bound but allowing this time on earth to enjoy each other beyond our wildest dreams. You are my love! And to that I exclaim to the whole world: SWEETHEARTS FOREVER! Love, Jim

To Jim from Nan 2009 – You are more precious to me every day! Praising God for giving you to me – a godly man, growing in Christ’s love. Sweethearts forever, Nan. I love you.

2010 – Thanks for all your love and support especially during the past year with the departure of John & Mom. Your patience and understanding has been (and still is) what helps sustain me through the “meltdowns.” Your hugs are much needed!! I praise God for growing you into a man after His heart. To have a godly husband and a solid marriage is my #1 blessing on this earth. I love you forever! We are blessed!! Sweethearts forever, Nan

97 2011 – “Many waters cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it.” Song of Solomon 8:7. We’ve known each other 51 years (almost 44 years of marriage). How blessed I am to have your unconditional love and to share our earthly lives together. May we continue to be a testimony of God’s grace and favor to a hurting world around us and leave a “Sweethearts Forever” legacy to our children and grandchildren. Love you my Sweetheart forever, Nan

2012 – I should give you a medal for all these years! I love you more each day and truly respect the man of God you are continuing to grow into. I am richly blessed by your unconditional love, trust and joys we share. Love you my “Sweetheart forever.” Nan

2013 – My Commanding Colonel with a “Teddy Bear” heart…a mixture of confident leadership and a yielded, humble heart. I am blessed abundantly…you walk deeply with the Lord…full of His wisdom…joy in following His will… open to new adventures. May we grow “old” together, rich in the grace of God ministering to others with deepening love for each other. SH4EVR, Nan

2015 – Praising God for our love for each other especially our oneness in the Spirit and knit together in love in Jesus. I am so blessed and grateful for a godly husband who loves me unconditionally. Thank you! I am so grateful for the walk you walk with the Lord and the outreach to others we share. “Ditto” to all said before!! Love forever my SWH4EVR, Nan

2016 – Love you my Sweetheart Forever. You provide so much good wisdom, discernment, respect and love to me. I am richly blessed! Praise God for the Holy Spirit “glue” holding us together in love with Him and each other. “Who is the man who fears the Lord….his soul will abide in prosperity….(Psalm 25:12a & 13a). Love, Nan

2017 – “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” Song of Solomon 6:3. We are blessed to be allowed 50 years of marriage, knowing that God has joined us together forever. He is our Rock and Foundation through the joys, challenges, and many changes we have navigated. May we continue together to serve Him and carry out His will during the remainder of our “earth days.” I am blessed with a man after God’s own heart…my treasure, my love, sweethearts forever. Love, Nan

98 PART TEN

THE LAST WORD

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

Psalm 103:17 (ESV)

99 CHAPTER 15 Final Thoughts

Dad/Grampa

D.L. Moody, the great evangelist of the 1800s is buried about 14 miles, as the crow flies, from here in Athol to Northfield. He once wrote: “Someday you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal-a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”

I have stood over the graves of D.L. Moody and his wife, Emma, looking to the Connecticut River as it flows through the countryside. There is a sense of peace and comfort knowing that one day I shall meet my Savior and rejoice! As Moody said, “a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.” I cannot wait. There will be a dash line between the day of my birth and death. I want only to hear from my Master those words to all that has been done in His name with the right attitude and motivation: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

This account of our lives together is a story of three, not two. It has been a “threefold cord…not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Jesus has been in the middle of it all, the very fabric of our everyday lives recognizing God’s mercy and faithfulness over and over again. Through all the mistakes, the things I do, think or speak that are not God honoring, I have run to the foot of the cross and asked for forgiveness that only Jesus can give. I am refreshed for the day, renewed in strength and purpose and waiting expectedly for the day I will be with Jesus.

Now, my children and grandchildren, my prayer is that you all grow closer and closer to your Savior, Jesus Christ. Let the Holy Spirit dwell in you to make the right decisions in life; you are precious in His sight. You were put on this earth for His purpose. I urge you to fulfill His purpose for your life. May you sing as the Psalmist and your dad and grandpa did when he first came to faith in Jesus: “This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Finally, I cannot express how much I love each one of you. Each one of you is so special and different, golden nuggets in my treasure box.

100 Mom/Grama

What a privilege to call upon God to bless you, grow you up in His character, and carry you through your struggles. Our prayer is that each one of you would know Jesus in a real and authentic way and honor Him with your life. May you cling to Him in the easy times and the difficult times, knowing that He loves you and knows the plans He has for you…not for calamity, but to give you a future and a hope. Trust Him with all your heart. Be a real believer, not a make-believer! Our greatest joy is that our children and next generations walk in God’s truth. We have built our marriage and life on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. His plan works!

Grampa and I talk about how our “earth” days are growing shorter and we keep our eyes fixed expectantly on heaven and that great day when we will be absent from this body and at home with the Lord. At times, we get a strange sensation coming over us that we are truly strangers on this earth and this is not our real home. When God calls our name to depart to Him, we will go joyfully. For now, we are committed to continue to serve Christ Jesus our Lord with all the strength and wisdom He gives us. We often say that we desire to go to Him with our “boots on,” joining Him where He is working around us!

We are grateful for all our blessings, all the trials that have shaped us, precious children Karen and Peter, and precious “Flakes” James, Amber, Charlece, Kyle, Wyatt, Sam, and Kenna. To God be the glory! Great is His faithfulness!

Our prayer for our family is best expressed in the song, Find Us Faithful, by Jon Mohr

We’re pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road And those who’ve gone before us line the way Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, Let us run the race not only for the prize But as those who’ve gone before us, let us leave to those behind us The heritage of faithfulness, passed on through godly lives

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful May the fire of our devotion light their way, may the footprints that we leave Lead them to believe, and the lives we live inspire them to obey Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

101 After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone And our children sift through all we’ve left behind May the clues that they discover, and the memories they uncover Become the light that leads them, to the road we each must find

102 CHAPTER 16

The Blessing

As the Lord spoke to Moses, we also pronounce this blessing upon you and your generations to follow:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)

103 APPENDIX A Father & Grandfather Lake Sayings

George Vincent Lake

Red the river of blood may be, White the dove of peace may be, Ah! Blue, beyond its heavenly depths I see. The Holy Trinity. Red, White and Blue, I salute thee.

A Bible is not a Bible until you read it. God is not God until you believe in Him. Jesus is not Jesus until you accept Him.

Most of us will never do great things, But we can do small things in a great way.

The tendency to brood and fret has never solved a problem, yet worry is a rocking chair that never gets us anywhere!

If you can’t write it down and sign it, Don’t Say It!

Fear knocked at the door Faith answered No one was there!

To show Dad’s love for Jesus, he would write to us after returning to our duty assignment far away from home:

What a fine Christmas we all had ---the gifts---fine food. Most of all, God’s gift of Jesus to the world.

Mom wrote one of Dad’s quotes to us:

Faith and choice go hand in hand. Give me strength, wisdom and courage to make the correct choice.

104 Another wise saying of Dad:

I firmly believe that if a person leads a clean life --- that is --- clean thoughts --- no malice towards others --- and Divine guidance that life will have a fullness that is unequaled by wealth or position --- and often that person will have a reasonable measure of both.

George Washington Lake

All the knowledge in the world is useless without the wisdom to apply it.

It is better to know how to make a life than a living.

The only wealth in the world is solidified labor.

105 APPENDIX B

Military Biography – James A. Lake, Colonel (Retired), United States Army

Colonel (Retired) James A. Lake served 26 years in the United States Army. His last assignment was Special Assistant to the Director, Defense Information Systems Agency from November 6, 1992 to September 30, 1993. He previously served four years on the Joint Staff as Command Center Operations Chief for Operations Team One and as Chief, National Military Command Center, Site R, formerly the Alternate National Military Command Center.

Born and raised in Athol, Massachusetts, he is a 1963 graduate of Athol High School and a 1967 graduate of Boston University, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations Business and Industry. While attending the university, Colonel Lake was a distinguished military graduate in the Army ROTC program and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps in May 1967.

After commissioning and completion of basic and tactical communications schools, he was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division as an infantry battalion signal officer. Subsequent overseas assignments included a twelve month tour to Vietnam with the 25th Aviation Battalion of the 25th Infantry Division, and two three year tours to the Federal Republic of Germany with the 41st Field Artillery Group and a tour with the Defense Communications Agency.

Stateside assignments included duty as an instructor at the Marine Corps Communications Officer School, Quantico, Virginia and as a staff action officer for the Joint Tactical Command, Control, and Communications Agency at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Colonel Lake also commanded the Little Rock Recruiting Battalion, United States Army Recruiting Command, which covered recruiting areas in Arkansas, the greater part of Louisiana, and portions of Texas and Oklahoma.

Colonel Lake is Airborne and Ranger qualified. He has had numerous assignments to Army communications schools and is a graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. While attending the Communications Systems Engineering Course at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, he received a Master’s in Business Administration from the New York Institute of Technology.

106 His unit awards include: Joint Meritorious Unit Award (Joint Chiefs of Staff), Valorous Unit Award (25th Aviation Battalion), Army Superior Unit Award (Little Rock Recruiting Battalion), Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation (25th Aviation Battalion), and Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (25th Aviation Battalion).

His service awards include: Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (one bronze oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal (two bronze oak leaf clusters), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (one bronze oak leaf cluster), Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal (one bronze oak leaf cluster), Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal (one bronze service star), Vietnam Service Medal (four bronze service stars) and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

His badges and tabs include: Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge, Army Basic Recruiter Identification Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge and RangerTab.

107 APPENDIX C

Nancy’s Favorite Prayer as a Little Girl

Mary Duncan (1814-1840) From the Hymn, Jesus, Tender Shepherd, Hear Me

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me, Bless Thy little lamb tonight; Through the darkness be Thou near me, Watch my sleep till morning light.

All this day Thy hand has led me, And I thank Thee for Thy care; Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me, Listen to my evening prayer.

Let my sins be all forgiven, Bless the friends I love so well; Take me home at last to heaven, Happy there with Thee to dwell.

108 APPENDIX D Kenya Testimonies

Date: Sunday Afternoon, November 16, 2003, Kakamega Prison Title: Auxiliary in Action

Four American and five Kenyan brothers with four Auxiliary arrived atthe Kakamega Prison mid afternoon on Sunday. It was a prison with approximately 1,800 men and 190 women. Perrin Prescott, the team leader, asked me to go with the Auxiliary to the place where they kept the women inmates. I was privileged to give the presentation of the ministry and call for the distribution of New Testaments, which the Auxiliary gave to all the 190 women. The salvation message was given with those responding meeting in two groups with the Kenyan Auxiliary. It was marvelous to see how God used the Auxiliary to witness and lead 68 women to the saving knowledge of Lord Jesus Christ.

Date: Monday Morning, November 17, 2003, Sandrandra Secondary School Title: Nearly Speechless

Traveling north of the city of Kakamega, our distribution team of one American and two Kenyans turned from the main road down a rut gutted road for 8 miles to the Sandrandra Secondary School. It would be at this school that children would be called from other nearby schools to rally for the distribution of New Testaments. The ministry of the Gideons was explained followed by the distribution of 1,700 New Testaments. As the group settled in front of us after receiving their copy of God’s Word, we explained the helps in the front and plan of salvation in the back. So as to ensure no pressure for responding to a call for salvation in a group setting, those who wanted to receive Christ were asked to go to where I was standing a distance away beneath a tree, and I would talk with them further about a relationship with Christ. I was nearly speechless as 1,597 children surrounded me to make commitments to Christ.

Date: Monday Morning, November 17, 2003, Sandrandra Secondary School Title: Born Again Principal

Concluding a distribution at the Sandrandra Secondary School, I was approached by the principal of the school, Mr. Seth Amwayi, who wanted me to come into his office and pray for his school and for the children. As we entered his office, the Spirit prompted me to discuss with Mr. Amwayi his relationship with Jesus before

109 ever getting to pray for his concerns. It was a God moment where he was faced with his own belief in a Savior who is the way, the truth and the life. Asking him about his relationship revealed a man who went to church, lived a good life, and was faithful to his family, but he was missing something and he knew it. In the quietness of the moment, Mr. Amwayi turned his life over to the Lord Jesus Christ by the simple leading through the passages of scriptures and confession of faith found in the back of the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs. I followed by praying for his concerns and encouraged him to share his new faith with the other Kenyan Gideons outside the office. I marveled and thanked my God as he expressed to the Kenyan Gideons the joy of now knowing that Jesus was his friend and that he was born again.

Monday Afternoon, November 17, 2003, Lumbao Secondary School Title: A Moment of Worship

Tightly packed into the school hall were 120 children who heard the gospel message and the presentation of the Gideon ministry. New Testaments were distributed with the call for salvation. Those who wanted to receive Christ were asked to step forward and join the group of Gideons in the front. As they began to approach, 28 of them, I asked that any who were not believers or who did not want to accept Christ to please leave the hall. As they departed only those who wanted to accept Christ and other believers were left behind. A 12 year old girl to my left in the crowd of children began to sing: “How wonderful is your word, Oh Lord. How beautiful is your name, Oh Lord.” Over and over the believers would sing these words as the group of 28 continued to step forward to receive Christ. The wonder of it all as I watched this school hall literally turn into a worship center for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tuesday Afternoon, November 18, 2003, Kigawa Secondary School Title: Wind from the North

The team of three Gideon, two Kenyans and one American, finally reached the Kigawa Secondary School where they had been patiently waiting for four hours for our arrival. We had been delayed throughout the day due to circumstances beyond our control. Before us the neighboring schools had joined this school in a distribution to 900 children. The younger children were in the front and the older, high school children were in the rear of the crowd. It was late in the day after the afternoon rains had come and gone. It was pleasant, warm, no humidity and no wind; it was still and quiet. It was an environment where one could speak and be heard by the hundreds that had gathered. As I spoke of the plan of salvation from the back of the New Testament which we had previously given to each one of those students, I shared

110 that there would come a time when God’s Spirit would move in their heart to bring each of them face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ and a decision would have to be made to either accept or reject Jesus Christ. Suddenly, at that very moment, a wind blew out of the north sweeping across the whole group of us. It happened so suddenly that I stopped mid-sentence and considered the wonder of it all. A small voice inside of me prompted me to continue with the plan of salvation as outlined in the back of New Testament. After completing the presentation, the wind abruptly stopped. We broke into two groups: a Kenyan Gideon spoke with the younger aged children where 625 accepted Christ, and I spoke with the high school students where 176 accepted the Savior. I am not about to explain the wind but only to say that God made a significant statement at that moment to all that were considering the call for salvation. God is awesome.

Wednesday Morning, November 19, 2003, Vigetse Primary School Title: My Ways Are Not Your Ways

The team of three Gideons (two Kenyans and one American) were well on their way to achieving their distribution goal for the day by arriving at the Vigetse Secondary School for the morning distribution. Children had gathered from nearby schools and the New Testaments were distributed with many receiving Christ. As we were preparing to leave for the next large distribution, a head teacher, Noah, approached me and asked if we would go to his school and make a distribution before leaving. At first I simply said that we must push on to the next site, but he begged that we would go to his school. I asked how far it was to his school; he said about 5 minutes away. Reluctantly agreeing to go, we spent the next 50 minutes traveling across rutted roads having to dismount the vehicle four times to reach his school. I was not happy; we would surely miss the second large distribution of the day. I grumbled before the Lord. Up the dirt road into the bush we went, down a path with sugar cane closing in from each side and finally breaking out into the open and there was the school overlooking the valley below. What was going on? God, why do you have us out here in this place when we should be elsewhere? The result of this experience was this:

• We identified a new school of 200 children that was not known before. • We distributed 200 New Testaments at the Vigetse Primary School and 400 more at two additional schools. • Noah asked me to talk with his 5 teachers about Jesus. In his office I shared Christ with the 5 teachers and 4 accepted the Lord. • Noah wanted to become a Gideon so he could carry on the work of distributing God’s Word in his area.

111 “My ways are not your ways, says the Lord.” Father, forgive me for grumbling and not being sensitive to know your plan.

Thursday Morning, November 20, 2003, Lusumu Primary School Title: Thousands Come

The day began with three Gideons, two Kenyans and one American, praying in the car asking God to bless the distribution at the school where they would travel. Songs of praise were sung as we went to the school where we estimated 700-800 would gather at the Lusumu Primary School as a rallying point for the distribution. Schools from the surrounding area would join in the activity. It was good that New Testaments had been prepositioned for the distribution, more than we thought was really needed. We arrived on site to the greetings of the principals and teachers. Children began to gather in the hundreds and as we looked in the distance, other children began to come, school after school with children in their colorful uniforms. They kept coming not in the hundreds but now in the thousands so that we would look upon a sea of humanity, God’s precious ones, which finally numbered just over 3,000. The number astounded us. The teachers, in such an orderly way, broke the group into three lines, and we each distributed by hand over 1,000 scriptures. They would come and hold out both hands in respect as they took the scripture, bowing their heads, and the girls would curtsy. I gave the call for salvation in English, the trade language of the country. Silvester, my Kenyan Gideon brother, spoke in their native tongue of Swahili with the same message to accept Christ. A third Gideon brother, Solomon, reinforced the salvation message with a third presentation. The three of us asked God that this not be a moment of reaction but of acceptance of the King of kings and Lord of lords. After each presentation, hands immediately were raised that they had accepted Christ. What a privilege to be part of a God moment where masses came to know Jesus as their personal Savior.

Friday Morning, November 21, 2003, Primary School Title: My Bible

I traveled with my Kenyan Gideon brothers far into the bush in Kenya to a primary school. This would be my last distribution in Kenya. As we arrived the children came running – about 250 of them. Once the teachers established order, they formed a line and came for their New Testament. The sweetest angelic, young female voice began to sing: “My Bible. My Bible and I, we’re traveling together, My Bible and I. My Jesus. My Jesus and I, we’re traveling together, my Jesus and I.” I wrote this in my diary that day: “It is about a Jesus who loves us and wants to walk with us.” I left that last distribution in Kenya with the words of one of the teachers who stood after we had made the presentation and said, “There is nothing we can offer you but we thank you for coming and sharing the word of God with us.”

112