Submitted by Helene Chesley Purdy, Hamilton, Virginia
In honor of Winkie Chesley, Redding, Connecticut My mom was diligent in getting her six children to church every Sunday when we were young. We were all baptized and confirmed, but it wasn’t until we were teenagers that she surrendered her life to the Lord. Mom became active in her church and embraced her gift of service while struggling with the demands and challenges of raising our large family.
Winkie “Grandma” Chesley (center) at her 80th birthday party on Aug. 4, 2014 in Gettysburg, Maryland, with the author and her family. (Courtesy of Helene Purdy)
We moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Connecticut in 1970, when I was in the fifth grade. We walked to the local elementary school and walked home every day for a hot lunch.
In Connecticut, Mom became very active in her church and volunteer organizations in the 70s and 80s. She was well known for her good deeds of showing hospitality and helping those in trouble, devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds through volunteer work in her community. Her acts remind me that “happiness or wealth should not keep anyone from doing God’s work.”…