With a rose, a remembrance, and the tolling of Union Chapel’s antique bell, Garden Club Memorial Sunday pays tribute to members who passed away in the last year.
The 87th annual event takes place at the Chapel on August 6, at 10:30 AM and honors Jean Brechter, Phyllis Gillespie, Carol Russell, and Yioula Van Rynbach.
Garden Club President Jean McClintock will speak on the club’s behalf and Suzanne Louer will read the scriptures. Joan Buonocore will arrange flowers for the altar and Carolyn Stromberg for the reception table.
About the Garden Club of Shelter Island
Garden Club members design, plant, and tend the tiny gardens in front of both post offices, the Shelter Island Library, and Wilson Circle, among other locations.
“From its beginning, the Garden Club of Shelter Island has reflected the affection and dedication of Shelter Islanders — women who were willing to work and who had incredible creative talents,” one long-time member says. “It is still a group of workers who plant, weed, water, and educate in ways that add to the beauty of the Island.”
They create wreaths for the Memorial Day ceremony, host garden tour fundraisers, and annually sell a unique, much-sought-after ornament at Christmas. For Mother’s Day this year, Garden Club members worked with young children at the library to plant succulents in tea cups, encouraging the use of lots of moss, gravel, and tiny lawn ornaments like toadstools and hedgehogs.
As an entity, the Garden Club aims “to stimulate the knowledge and love of horticulture, gardening and flower arranging. It is dedicated to promoting interest in wayside plantings and home gardens and to protect and enhance the natural beauty of Shelter Island, its roadsides and shorelines.”
The service will also see the return of an old friend, Pastor Bill Grimbol. Guest musicians are Chapel Trustee Christopher Herman playing cello and Jed Feldman on flute. A reception hosted by the Garden Club follows outdoors.
About Pastor Bill
Pastor Bill grew up in Racine, WI. He graduated from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) with degrees in political science and literature and from Princeton University Theological Seminary. He was confirmed and ordained at Holy Communion Lutheran Church and was an interim youth pastor there. He was associate pastor for Bay Shore Lutheran Church in Whitefish Bay, WI, before moving to Shelter Island in 1986.
While pastor of the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, he devoted much of his time to working with teens. Island kids remember Pastor Bill fondly as a leader of the youth group and author of “Buddha In Your Backpack” and “Jesus In Your Backpack: A Teen’s Guide to Spiritual Wisdom.”
One Islander, a mother of two (former) teenagers, recalled, “When Bill was here, he led people in really important conversations. Not religious, but spiritual conversations.”
Pastor Bill retired from the Presbyterian Church in 2011 and returned to Holy Communion Lutheran Church. His wife, Patty, passed away in 2013, and he took time away from teaching and preaching. In 2020, he moved to Vermont to join his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild in Vermont.
He is a painter and a photographer, as well as a published author of over a dozen books. Visit his blog, “Soul Provider: Short Stories, Lifetime Lessons,” at pastorbillgrimbol.com.
Other Garden Club Sunday details
Christopher Herman joined the Union Chapel Board of Trustees in 2020. He and his wife, Christina, live in Washington, D.C., and have a home in the Heights.
His family has summered on Shelter Island since the 1960s. Both Christopher (as an actor) and Jed (playing flute) recently performed at the Shelter Island Historical Society’s summer musical, “The Lords of Menantic.”
Jed Feldman was raised in a musical family and studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and with many NYC musicians.
“All Are Welcome:150 years of Shelter Island’s Union Chapel in the Grove” by Carrie Cooperider is available after the service. Or, you can find a copy at Finley’s Fiction or order yours by contacting Trustee Kathy Dinkel.
Next week: Celebrating Art Sunday, featuring the work of local artists. The Rev. Candace Whitman will preach.
JoAnn Kirkland assists the trustees of Union Chapel
