Jeanie Wylie-Kellerman, Rest in Peace
By Bill Wylie-Kellermann
Sunday, January 1, 2006
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Jeanie Wylie crossed over to the other side at home, 4 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Thanks be and alleluia. Her sweet body lies now washed and anointed by the holy women of our community, dressed in clothes picked by Lucy with help from her sister, laid out in a coffin built by Franciscan/Worker friends in Milwaukee, and blanketed in the hospice quilt from the LA Worker under which she died. In her passing she has taught us all a number of new community practices
She had a labored day of breathing, but late afternoon eased. Her passing was, in the end, easy and full of grace.
We are hosting a wake tomorrow (1/1) at the house from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. The afternoon will be open and unstructured. In the evening there will be a prayer service from 7-7:30, followed by a time of memory and reflection.
We plan a memorial service for Sunday, January 8, at 2 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church (Woodward and Adams in Detroit).
Lydia, Lucy, and I send love and thanks.
The Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellermann is program director for the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE) in Chicago, Ill. He is also on the steering committee of Word and World: A People's School. Bill lives in Detroit, Mich., and may be reached by email at bill@scupe.com.