When my youngest daughter began first grade in 1981, I started working in the church office with Arthetta “Archie” Brown. We worked together more than 11 years of her 26 year “reign”.
Those years were a happy time in my life and I have wonderful memories. When I learned of her passing on January 25 at the age of 91, my mind was filled with many of those happy times. She had a great sense of humor and we laughed a lot as we worked very hard typing on our IBM Selectrics, making copies on a messy mimeograph machine, a primitive copier and hand staplers. When Pastor Uehling wanted us to switch to computers, we were annoyed and fearful. However, we soon “mastered” those Radio Shack computers and decided they were much better than the typewriter with the “bouncing ball”.
Archie was hired by Pastor Ed Ehlers, who once said it was the best thing he ever did for Saint Matthew. She also worked with Pastors Herluf Jensen, Carl Uehling and Gordon Huff. She liked to say, “I trained two bishops” because both Pastors Ehlers and Jensen were elected presidents (later known as bishops) of the NJ Synod. I became the Office Manager when she retired in 1993 and I knew she had also trained me to be a church secretary.
Archie was much loved by the congregation. She and her husband Russell, who were life-long Methodists, often attended activities in our church, including a trip for the Appalachian Service Project with a group from Saint Matthew. At her funeral there were loving tributes from family and a few of her many friends. One of my favorite stories was of how she and Russ would go to a Hallmark store for special days and holidays. Each would pick a card for the other, exchange cards, read them, often through tears, return them to the rack and leave the store without buying anything! Incidentally, they had celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary shortly before Russ died in late 2020. They had been an example for family and friends of a warm and loving relationship.
Archie and I had so much fun performing humorous skits for church events, which we called “AB and RB in the Office”. We poked fun at pastors and others and usually included a phone call, using an old toy telephone, from someone wanting to schedule a wedding. We would tell the person the pastor would not be available, but we could perform it for them. We had as much fun writing them as we did acting them. We ended each performance by singing “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” and included actions to add interest to the text.
We kept in touch after her retirement and I often remembered her many kindnesses, especially at the time of my husband’s death. Her first Christmas gift to me was a trifle bowl, which I have used every Christmas since to make trifle with Ellen Woolston’s delicious English recipe.
Archie would occasionally say, “I want to be buried in my winter coat”. I thought of that as I attended her funeral service on February 3, a blustery bitter cold winter day. What I saw was a lace shawl around her shoulders. I am sure that when she was welcomed in the loving arms of God, there was no need for a winter coat.
As I write this article on February 21, I remember it would have been her 92nd birthday.
Rest in peace, my old friend. I will remember and I will miss you.
—Rozella Bower