Jean Weston
by Lenore Askew
Jean Weston, along with her husband Bill, were charter members of UUCSV. They signed the book in 1991, the year of the incorporation of the congregation. Both contributed greatly to our beginnings: Bill as our “historian” who documented our early years, and Jean, who loved feeding us. Jean’s favorite mantra was “Food is my ministry.” And it was! Whenever she heard of anyone in the congregation who needed something to eat due to illness or surgery, Jean was there with food, and lots of it! (She had a terrible dread of not having enough, so there were always leftovers.) She was one of the most dependable suppliers of edibles for every event that required food, even if she couldn’t be there herself.
Jean’s second major contribution to the congregation was her lovely quilts. The quilts you see in the Chapel and at the UUCSV location are all her handiwork. Not only did she make those that we can see hanging, but many families got quilts made for their newborns. We needed a covering for the front table? Jean supplied one. We needed something to celebrate LGBT service? Jean made two hangings. We needed chalices to serve as a focal point in the Chapel? Jean did that, too. In addition there were those that we didn’t request, but that she gave to us: The “stained glass” quilt in the Chapel, the “Spirit of Life” quilt on the one wall at UUCSV, and the “World Religious Symbols” quilt on the other.
She fed us; she brought us beauty. She will truly be missed.
