Steve Hutchison (foomf) wrote,
Steve Hutchison
foomf

Goodbye for now, Roger.

Roger Melrose has finally been, to use a Pauline phrase, "freed from the body of death". He was an Episcopal priest, his wife Charlotte the headmistress of a school in Hawaii while Roger was at Christ Church Episcopal... I don't have much good information about their history. I know they "retired" to Oregon, to Hillsboro. They joined my church, and they were like having a sudden powerful burst of sheer energy. They never really talked that much about themselves, being far more interested hearing about other people, and so continually engaged in doing and uplifting and building ... after some years, when Roger was diagnosed with cancer, he hid that fact for a while. Eventually, though, it devoured his strength, and Charlotte's boundless good grace and high energy enthusiasm was pulled back from uplifting everyone around her, and focused on him, and I know exactly how and why that happened.

They moved back to Hawaii, a few years ago, to be closer to family, and I'm not sure whether they had decided on hospice or not.

It comes back, how intensely draining it was, focusing on the fight against the cancer, fighting the urge to give in, the insane "get it over with" frustration. My prayers are with Charlotte and her family now.
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