Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”
Dear Ones, Church Family and Friends,
Last night one of our beloved and vibrant members, Edith Hansen, 85, died at the Terrace Nursing Home where she had been a resident for more than 8 years. Edith was trained as a nurse and had that wise practical love and compassion that can only come of standing with people in need. After a career in nursing she came to Berea and joined the staff of Berea College working in the Hutchins Library and with Joe Tarter in the credit union.
Her impish sense of humor and fun made her a delight at church, at work, and with the close circle of friends that surrounded her. I particularly delighted that Edith knew all the bawdy versions of any song, and could be counted on to contribute them “when the coast was clear.” She joined Union Church in 1987 and with energy and good cheer worked tirelessly for the mission and service, the deacons, and the trustee board among countless other endeavors. She was elected “Honorary Lifetime Deacon,” the recognition the congregation bestows on those who have gone above and beyond in Christian service. Until her stroke made it impossible, Edith rarely missed church or the chance to help someone in need.
Edith was born to parents who emigrated from the Danish island of Bornholm and she enjoyed correcting my often terrible pronunciation in Danish. Friends will remember her for the quiet mirth she always seemed to be brewing just below the surface, and for her tireless service to students and other staff.
It was on Valentine’s Day, 2012, that a debilitating stroke left her partially paralyzed, but thankfully able to speak and converse. After several weeks, however, it was also apparent that the damage had affected her mind. Edith, who never married, began to tell stories of a very nice gentleman she had met there in the nursing home, and then, several weeks later, of how they were going to get married.
The reality was far different, bedridden as she was, but the sheer pleasure of her imagined life as it unfolded was truly infectious. I and others who visited were often regaled by stories of the trips they had taken, and what kind of a family they planned to have, and then the celebrations of the birth of their first (though still imaginary) child! She was able to know her friends in the Terrace room, but clearly this other reality was as real and engaging as our company and she was always eager to tell me the news of her life, and never forgot to ask about mine. And she rarely forgot anything I had told her on previous visits about events in the life of the church or my family! Amazing.
In this is a great story of friendship. Edith was a true friend to those around her and that kindness was repaid by those who loved her and cared for her so faithfully after her stroke. Her brother and sister and their families were very far away and it was blessing to us all that Edith was able to be surrounded by her “chosen family” of life-long church and college friends. They cared for her, helped with details of paperwork and practical needs, visited her and lived her new life with unflagging devotion. Truly, there is no greater discipleship than to lay down and remake your life for your friend. I know you all who were in that circle are held in the deepest gratitude by Edith’s family, and in highest admiration by all of us.
For all who knew and loved her, memorial arrangements are pending, understandably, but I will certainly let you know what is planned and when as soon as details can be determined.
Edith’s new, alternate life was rich and full of love, a perfect expression of “the world as it should be.” Illness, however distanced from the mind, is never kind. As this last year passed, it was clear that years of being bedridden were taking their toll. Earlier this week, the nursing home called Betsy Hoefer, who has looked after Edith so faithfully and told that Edith had been less and less conscious and had stopped eating or drinking. We knew then that her long journey to the God she loved would soon be over.
On Thursday, Betsy, myself, and my mother, Carla Gilbert, were allowed to visit. We sang hymns and shared comfort from scripture, prayed for and with her, and then sang for her journey home. May the wider life she knows now be even more miraculous than the life she reported to us during her stay at the Terrace. May she be at peace, full of that good humor and joy, and free at last from all that limited or troubled her. Thanks to Edith we all saw a little more of the world as it should be. Thanks be to God.
In sorrow and joy and thanksgiving,
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