Our friend, Queen Mary

For years, Mary, also known to everyone as “Queen Mary”, was more than a guest to many at Center of Hope. She had her own table in the dining room, where friends naturally gathered around her. Birthdays were celebrated there, not just hers but those of the people she cared about. When someone was struggling, Mary noticed. When someone was missing, she asked. She looked out for others just as faithfully as they looked out for her.

When Mary passed away at 91, it was this community of friends who carried her memory forward. With no nearby family to plan a service, the people who had shared so many meals and conversations with her gathered at Holland Lake Park to celebrate her life. They brought sandwiches, pots of beans, chips, desserts, and drinks—just the way Mary loved it. Framed photographs of her life rested on the tables, while stories and laughter filled the air, echoing the love she had poured into others.

Chaplain Burton Cook was invited to share words of comfort. He reflected on Mary’s years as a CNA, her heart for young people, and her gift for encouraging others. Scripture was read, prayers were lifted, and her friends left knowing they had honored her in the truest way: together.

Mary’s life reminds us that relationships built in community can become family. At Center of Hope, she was dearly loved—and her legacy lives on in the bonds she helped create.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”
Ephesians 2:10