Ilene

Ilene

Ilene was a large woman, she was a large woman with few teeth.

I knew Ilene from church she was there when I started going and was still going when I started going to another church so in my decade at port orchard united Methodist church she was a constant presence

Every Sunday you could expect to see Ilene sitting at her usual table in the fellowship hall she always sat by the door greeting people as they entered or you would hear the scrape of the tennis balls on the legs of her walker that she had worn bald. Her voice had a harsh high pitched tone with a rasp caused by years of smoking

I don't remember much about Ilene just strange detail the fact that she wore her watch halfway between her wrist and her elbow, the strange clam chowder smell her jacket had, the constant stream of frustration she had that me and my two best friends even entertained the idea of bringing our skateboards in to church and insisted we put them out of sight and under a pew for reasons I still don't understand

I only remember bits and pieces because that is all I knew about Ilene I don't know how long she went to church if she was ever married or had kids I don't even know her last name. I knew Ilene loved the church and the church didn't know how much it loved Ilene

She had a strange personality, when my church had dinners or events we would sit her with church member who also had strange personalities and that knew Ilene so she wouldn't scare away possible knew members even today I feel like that is one of the least christ like things a church I've gone to has done

One of the things I love most about Ilene Is the fact that she allowed me to. See my father for the great man that he was She would badger my father weekly for rides places or get her the chicken nuggets which she had a particular fondness for. My father could always find the time to show Ilene acts if kindness regardless of what football games were on that Sunday or what yard work needed to be done I saw god in my fathers on those occasions

Ilene was a symbol of my child hood when I heard she had passed away I was torn, on one hand I was sad at the loss if a member of my home church but it was also the loss of part of my childhood that I took for granted. But she was now with our heavenly father and all if her health problem where gone and she has only praise now

Getting Ilene coffee or trying to hide my skateboard from her was such a huge part of my child hood that when she passed I finally knew how the church felt about Ilene

When I go back to my home church a lot has changed there is a new pastor m friends have all moved onto. College and work and life and I see more and more people I don't know but I can always look I the fellowship hall for the table with the church calendar and brochure and see the plaque on it that says "Ilene's table."