We Hold in the Light

Virginia and Will

Gordon

Allen’s Neck Meeting will again be participating in the annual Heifer Walk for Hunger, sponsored by the Westport Point United Methodist Church, on Sunday, October 2^nd, 1PM to 5PM.  A spaghetti dinner will be held at Allen’s Neck at the end of the walk.  Anyone interested in participating should speak to the Peace and Social Concerns Committee for further details.

Barbara (Smith) Erickson was born on February 24, 1912, and died at age 93 on June 1, 2005. She was the oldest member of Allen’s Neck Meeting at the time of her death.

Barbara grew up in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She married Karl Erickson on December 24, 1930, and they raised three children together.

She began attending Allen’s Neck Friends Meeting in the 1930s, when she moved to Westport, and was an active member for many decades. Studying the Bible was important to her, both at home with her family and at Meeting. She taught First Day School at Allen’s Neck for many years, so countless children have benefitted from her knowledge of the Bible.

Barbara also loved history, and she was the Meeting’s historian in the 1960s. She knew the history of the families who helped the Meeting to grow and develop throughout its long history, and loved to share that knowledge with others. Even in her later years, she served as Recording Clerk for the Meeting, creating a written record of the minutes from Monthly Meetings for Business.

Along with her husband Karl Erickson, Barbara cared about social isses and especially world peace. She and Karl were co-clerks of the Allen’s Neck Peace and Social Concerns Committee in the early 1980s, and they hosted meetings of the committee at their home at Turtle Rock Farm in Westport.

Barbara will long be remembered for her gentle spirit, and her nurturing ways. She was loved by everyone who knew her, in her family and in the Meeting. She will be sorely missed.