ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Births
• Engagements
• Weddings
• Anniversaries
• Obituaries
• Tribute: Onorina (Onnie) Thompson

Births

Daniel and Christa Miller are thrilled to announce the birth of their baby girl. Their first child, Kaleigh Brianne, was born on Nov. 1, 2005, weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces and measuring 19¾ inches long. The three are members of the Wheeling, West Virginia, congregation, where great-grandfather Jerry McCracken also attends. First-time grandparents Mark and Brenda White from the Princeton, West Virginia, area and grandparents Jim and Erin Miller from Wheeling, West Virginia, are very happy to welcome the new addition.

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Robert and Kimberley Eckert of the Edmonton, Alberta, congregation are pleased to announce the arrival of their first child, Michael Jacob Eckert. Michael was born on Dec. 14, 2005. He weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 20½ inches long. Michael was born in St. Albert, Alberta, and both mother and son are healthy.

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Jordan Hunter Mortier, first child of Jeb Ryan Mortier and Laurie Lynn Macaraeg-Mortier, was born Oct. 28, 2005, in the city of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces, and measured 19.5 inches at birth.

Jordan is the first grandchild of both sets of grandparents: Jeb's parents (Donn and Alice Mortier from Wisconsin) and Laurie's parents (Edmond and Lorna Macaraeg from the Philippines).

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Patrick and Sarah (Colbeth) Buckley of Okinawa, Japan, are thrilled to announce the birth of their first child, Jillian Peach. Jillian was born Oct. 28, 2005, weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces and measuring 20¾ inches.

Proud grandparents are Jim Buckley and Phyllis Buckley and great-grandmother Mildred Peach Collins, all of Grand Junction, Colorado, and Betsy Colbeth (and her late husband, Ron) of Firestone, Colorado.

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Engagements

Dallas Girard, of Hurst, Texas, and Brett Efimov of Chicago, Illinois, are pleased to announce their engagement. Dallas is the daughter of Jerry and Lucy Girard of San Antonio, Texas. Brett is the son of Ted and Sylvia Efimov of the Chicago congregation. The couple got engaged Dec. 30, 2005, near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where Dallas had been living for the past year. A July 2, 2006, wedding in Dallas, Texas, is planned.

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Chris Hanson, son of Ron Hanson and Diane Kjentvet, and Nikki Stuart, daughter of Joel and Pat Lillengreen, are happy to announce their engagement on Feb. 9, 2006. Joined in this announcement are Chris's daughter, Bailey, and son, Carter, as well as Nikki's two sons, Tyler and Dakota. A midsummer wedding is planned.

Chris and Nikki first met at the Feast of Tabernacles in Wisconsin Dells over 20 years ago.

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Edmond and Lorna Macaraeg of Davao City, Philippines, are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Cheryl Lynn Macaraeg, to David Don Rogers of the Denver, Colorado, congregation. An Oct. 5 wedding is planned in Davao City, Philippines.

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Ms. Ruperta Betoy of Sabah, Malaysia, and Jerry and Mary Reisdorff of Phoenix, Arizona, are very happy to announce the engagement of their children Ketchel Betoy and Anthony Reisdorff. The wedding will take place this coming Feast of Tabernacles in the Philippines.

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Mrs. Susan Tomich Graham and Mr. Kenneth A. Graham II of Illinois are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Nicole Kristen Graham to Kelly Christopher Gard, son of Ms. Kimberly Ann Gard and Mr. Marvin O. Gard of New Mexico. A May 28th wedding is planned near Chicago, Illinois. Nicole and Kelly are currently attending ABC.

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Weddings

Nick and Nancy Sass of Prescott Valley, Arizona, and Fred and Linda Patton of Big Sandy, Texas, are happy to announce the marriage of their children Larissa Marie to Mark Frederick Patton on Nov. 27, 2005. The ceremony was in Prescott, Arizona, and performed by Cecil Maranville. Kathie Lillengreen (sister of the bride) was matron of honor and Fred Patton (father of the groom) was best man. They were surrounded by lots of family and many close friends. The couple attends the Big Sandy congregation.

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Michael and Nancy Fike of Zephyrhills, Florida, are very pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter Melissa Ann to William (Bill) Hudson, son of Jim and Debbie Hudson of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Bill and Melissa were united in marriage on Sept. 4, 2005. Performing the wedding was a good friend of the family, Arthur Suckling, from Portland, Texas.

The wedding party included Kristin and Bryce Todd, Susan and David Fike, Donna Hofland and Amber Yates.

The happy couple lives in Zephyrhills and attends the Tampa and St. Petersburg congregations.

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Anniversaries

On Feb. 11, Chuck and Florence Thompson, of the Buffalo, New York, congregation, celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with their brethren after services.

The Thompsons' love for one another, for their family, for their brethren and for their God is a source of encouragement to all who know them.

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Nick and Nancy Sass of Prescott Valley, Arizona, celebrated their golden anniversary with their children and their families on Thanksgiving Day. They were married in Tawas City, Michigan, on Nov. 5, 1955. They then moved to Oceanside, California, where they spent over 37 years. They both retired and moved to Prescott Valley in 1992.

Nancy has been a member of God's Church since 1962 when her sister, Inez Schreiber, introduced her to the Church and Nancy read through all her Good News magazines. She was ordained a deaconess in 1963 and has been humbly serving in God's Church for over 43 years. Nancy attends the Northern Arizona congregation. Nick is not a member of the Church, but knows and lives by many of God's laws. Their daughters are very proud to enter this announcement regarding their parents' commitment to each other and their family.

They have four married daughters: Laurie Sparks of Renton, Washington; Ramona Walker who attends the San Diego, California, congregation; Kathleen Lillengreen of Oceanside; and Larissa Patton who attends the Big Sandy, Texas, congregation. They also have three grandsons who bring them much laughter and entertainment.

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Obituaries

Helen Woodcock, a member of the Elmira, New York, congregation, died on the Sabbath of Jan. 7, 2006. She was 97 years old and had been a member of God's Church for almost 43 years. Helen was born in Dundee, New York. She had 11 children, 48 grandchildren, 69 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

Helen heard about God's truth on Christmas 1956 from a neighbor while playing Christmas music and decorating a Christmas tree. She was baptized in 1963. Some of her fondest memories were going to the Feasts and time spent with God's people.

Helen lived her life in service to others. She was a director of a Jewish Home in Rochester and Syracuse, New York, taught music, served as a midwife for six years, made well over 50 wedding cakes for Church members from New York City to Canada, always drove people to church and to the annual Holy Days, and wrote a book with all proceeds given to children to attend summer camp.

Helen was known as the storyteller and sausage lady. She always served in and coordinated the kitchen for potlucks and socials and, during the later years of her life, she held an annual summer picnic for more than 50 people where she spent months in advance preparing the food for the picnic. This was her way of thanking the people who helped her during the year.

She took great delight in sharing in the fledging work in Eastern Europe. She prayed continually for the work there and helped prepare the mailing of literature to Eastern Europe until her eyesight became too bad to help.

A memorial service was held after services on the Sabbath of Jan. 28.

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Chieko O. Sprague, age 80, of San Marcos, Texas, died Jan. 17, 2006, at the Hays Nursing and Rehab Center following a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Mrs. Sprague was born March 29, 1925, in Kyoto, Japan, to the late Sojiro and Hisako Okumura. She immigrated to the United States in 1959 and lived in Clinton, Indiana, with her husband, Clee Sprague, for more than 40 years before moving to San Marcos in 2003.

Mrs. Sprague practiced Buddhism before she was called into Christianity and was baptized into the Church of God. Mr. Sprague often talks of how she discovered the true God and His Son Jesus Christ.

She is survived by her husband, Clee J. Sprague; a sister, Teruko James; a brother, Koichi Okumura; two daughters and their husbands, Al and Betsy Stern of Magnolia, Texas, and Don and Judy Sjogren of San Antonio, Texas; and five grandchildren, Karyn Stern, Valeria Stern, Karl Stern, Gunnar Sjogren and Aksel Sjogren.

Memorial services were conducted in San Marcos on Jan. 20 by Gary Petty and in the Bono Cemetery south of Dana, Indiana, on Feb. 9 by Victor Kubik.

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Hubert Ray (Hugh) Caudle died on July 29, 2005, at his home in Houston, Texas. He is survived by Martha, his wife of 46 years, and three sons: Jeff, his wife, Lisa, and daughters, Danielle and Gabrielle, of Auckland, New Zealand; Bob and his wife, Jamie, of Azusa, California; and Mike, his wife, Karen, daughter, Brienne, and son, Iain, of Altadena, California.

Hugh was born on July 1, 1940, in Breckenridge, Texas, the only child of Hiram Reaburn and L.C. (Meharg) Caudle. He grew up in Hillsboro, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, with degrees in business administration and accountancy. He became a CPA and spent most of his career in management accounting.

While Hugh was still in college, Martha came upon the World Tomorrow broadcast and was baptized in 1962. Though Hugh was somewhat hostile at first, he eventually became interested in God's way and was baptized in Toledo, Ohio, in 1966. After 11 years in the North, the family moved to Houston in 1976 and became active in serving in the Houston North congregation. Hugh was ordained a deacon and his wife a deaconess in 1986 at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Houston congregations.

In the 1980s, Hugh worked with the teens in their Bible Bowls and the Y.O.U. Revues that were performed over several years. He was responsible for the local tape library for many years and also helped out with local financial matters after UCG was formed. After he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 1999, his energy level was not up to a great deal of activity, but he took a great interest in encouraging the widows and those experiencing various trials, even as he was confined to bed for the last six months of his life.

Hugh's funeral was conducted by Jim Franks in Houston and burial was in Hillsboro.

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Irene Edwards, a cherished member of the Buffalo, New York, congregation, died Dec. 22, 2005, after a short illness in her Springville home. She was 78. Irene was called into God's Church through her son, Dave Edwards, a member of the Meadville, Pennsylvania, congregation.

She was a sister to many, mom to five children and a friend to all. In her spare time, Irene enjoyed jigsaw puzzles and often brought them to services to share with her Church friends. She cherished each card she received during her illness and prayed often that God would bless those who showed her such kindness.

In the words of one member, it's hard to imagine a world without her.

At her memorial service, family and friends alike shared memories of Irene—her hard work, her love and dedication to members of the Church and her love for her family. Irene leaves behind a large family and a lasting legacy. She will be missed and fondly remembered while she awaits the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Hilda King was born Hilda Josephine Rebecca Kammeyer on April 29, 1912, and died Feb. 13, 2006, just short of 94. She was married to Junior King April 14, 1942, who preceded her in death. To them were born two daughters: Mary, with whom she had lived the last several years of her life in Cincinnati, and Donna, wife of Dr. Joseph DeLeese of Knoxville, Tennessee.

She is survived by four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She is also survived by one sister, Anna Kammeyer Harris, who is 101 this June, and several nieces and nephews. Three brothers, Clarence, Virgil and Alvin Kammeyer, preceded her in death.

Hilda was baptized April 1, 1971, and was a faithful and loyal member in the Church of God for almost 35 years. She was a zealous student of the Bible.

A memorial service was conducted for her on Feb. 19 by Edward Smith and Lyle Welty.

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Wilma L. Heddleston, 66, of West Union, Ohio, died Feb. 6, 2006, at her residence. She was born July 16, 1939, in Lewis County, Kentucky, daughter of Nellie (McCall) Heddleston of West Union and the late Wendell Heddleston.

In addition to her mother, she is survived by one sister, Dorothy (Kendall) Reed of West Union, and two brothers, Roy Heddleston of Peebles, Ohio, and Philip (Martha) Heddleston of Dayton, Ohio. Wilma was employed as a secretary at a law firm in Maysville, Kentucky, for close to 35 years. She was a member of the Church of God in Portsmouth, Ohio, for 39 years.

Graveside services were held Feb. 8 with pastor Gary Smith officiating.

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Dorothy K. Williams died at the beginning of the Sabbath, Sept. 23, 2005, fitting for a long and faithful life dedicated to God.

Mrs. Williams was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph B. Williams, some 25 years earlier. He, like her, was an early member of God's Church and remained faithful to the end. They first heard the World Tomorrow broadcast in 1945 while living in central Texas. She attended her first Feast in Belknap Springs, Oregon, in 1949.

One frequent visitor called her "a library of information." Another friend said, "When we stopped to visit with Mrs. Williams, we always left with a more positive attitude than when we arrived." One church pastor said of her, "What a Christian she was! Very much loved."

She was born May 15, 1918, and was the oldest of 11 children. In 1936 she married Joseph Williams and they had four children: Mary Ann Aust, Brenda Christensen, Thomas Kirk Williams and Virgil Gene Williams.

Mrs. Williams faithfully and consistently served the Church in many ways throughout her life in God's Church. She will be sorely missed, but leaves a legacy of faith and encouragement.

The funeral was conducted Sept. 27 by her son-in-law Jerold Aust.

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Tribute: Onorina (Onnie) Thompson

On the morning of Feb. 4, 2006, Onorina (Onnie) Thompson died suddenly and unexpectedly of a massive stroke in the Florida Hospital South in Orlando, Florida. Wife of church pastor and Council member Richard Thompson and mother of two sons, Scot and Brett, Onnie is also survived by two sisters and a brother living in Florence, Italy.

Onnie was born in 1943 in Volant No. 2, a small mining town nestled within a beautiful valley of western Pennsylvania just west of Grove City where she went to college earning a major in the French language. Upon learning God's truth in 1963, she applied the following year to Ambassador College, becoming one of the pioneering students at Big Sandy, Texas. Here she met Richard Thompson, and they married after she graduated in the summer of 1967. Onnie loved Big Sandy, where she lived at different times for a total of 18 years.

Her love of children led her into teaching, beginning with third grade elementary in Big Sandy to her most recent teaching job at Triangle Elementary in Mt. Dora, Florida. She loved working with her children.

Richard Pinelli, officiating minister, shared many positive comments from family, friends and coworkers during the funeral service:

"From our first acquaintance it was apparent that she loved children and loved teaching children. From helping with teaching third graders at Big Sandy, Texas, Imperial Schools to her most recent job of teaching children in Mt. Dora, Florida, she wanted her students to have a good start in life. She took special interest in each child and the parents expressed their appreciation for that."

"Her spark, spunk, zest for life, wit, frankness, intellect and beauty were the initial qualities I grew to love and respect," said her husband.

When asked to handle a responsibility, she put all her mind, energy and attention to it. But the most important factor was that she put her whole heart into all she did. Onnie did not walk through life with half steps: for her it was always all you've got to give.

She is remembered for doing a lot of little things that had a big impact in the lives of others.

Her sense of humor was known and appreciated by many. She was a fan of both the Atlanta Braves and Dallas Cowboys. Once she wrote John Madden, the pro football announcer. Each year Madden selected an all-Madden football team. She wrote and told him that she should be selected because of her squat build and toughness. He declined to place her on the All-Madden team, but did send her an autographed picture of himself.

Yet, her life seemed to be marked by more than her share of pain—osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, a miscarriage at seven months and the loss of a son in March 1969. She looked forward to a time when, for her and others, there would be no more pain or suffering.

The funeral service was in Jackson, Mississippi, and interment in Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery.