It is really difficult when someone you know dies.
It could be a family member, a friend or an acquaintance but it doesn’t matter how you know them, it is that they have made an impact on your life.
Mary Dwelley was the President of Feminists for Life of New York. That is how I knew her. She was also extremely active at her parish of St. Bridget’s and a tireless advocate for peace and justice causes. I knew her as the woman who wouldn’t quit when it came to saving the lives of unborn babies. She was amazing.
The first time I met Mary was when I was looking to make pro-life contacts in Upstate New York, as I had recently moved here with my husband and didn’t have the opportunity to meet many in the pro-life network. Mary came to my house and we talked over dessert and coffee and I remember her being so pleasant and giving me so much information.
Later on I started working with Mary with Feminists for Life. She was always helpful and pleasant and never wavered in her passion for the unborn. She was very blunt when it came to correcting me when I made mistakes. That kind of honesty is always hard to hear at first but a person can’t help but be grateful for the opportunity for growth. You knew that when dealing with Mary that she was a defender of life and skilled in the ability to make her point known, using emotion and reason.
I just talked to Mary a couple of days ago. She had a busy week preparing for Holy Week and was “up to my eyeballs…and still trying to do my taxes!” It is hard to believe she is gone.
Mary was killed in a car crash yesterday. She was only 57, much too young to leave us.
A truck crossed the center line and hit Mary's car when she died instantly.
The news showed a picture of the back of her car. The bumper sticker read:
Peace begins in the womb.
That was Mary, protecting the unborn, even until the end.
The blow to this community is overwhelming. There are so many who knew Mary on a personal level who must be devastated. Her family, no doubt, must be beside themselves with grief.
She was a faithful Catholic, a friend to Feminists, an ally to the unborn. How fitting it is that she is meeting God during Holy Week.
Please pray for her friends and family during this difficult time.
Please pray for Mary Dwelley, that her soul rests in peace.
2 comments:
Mary was a core member of the book club I began 2 years ago. At our April 2006 meeting, we read the book she herself picked out, called The Captured, by Scott Zesch. It's about white settlers (children) who were captured in Texas by the Comanche and Apache Indians. They were later returned to their homes, and most of them preferred to remain with the Indians. They did not want to return to the white culture. I will miss Mary, as will her many friends at St. Bridget's Church. May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary enfold Mary in their embrace, and grant those mourning her loss a peace that can only come from God. Thanks be to God for all her gifts, and all she did for others.
My friend Myrna emailed me this message on your blog. What a beautiful a message for someone that has touched so many lives in such a beautiful way. It is always a shock when our G-d in heaven calls someone home suddenly - and far too young. But may her memory live on in the kindness of her words. Lord, Thy will be done. Amen. She lives on in the blessing of this message.
Adrienne, Bridgewater NJ
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