The last picture of us before Mike went to be with the Lord.

September 2010  Bellevue, WA 

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

 

 

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 Mike and Marie Meaney

Mike Meaney and I first met on Sunday February 14, 1960 at Bethany Church of Sierra Madre, CA.  We were introduced to each other by our family, Brice and Carolyn Carlson.  It was love at first sight.  From the day we first met until the day we married 11 months later, we never missed a day of seeing each other. 

Mike worked at Barry & Grasmueck, a musical instrument store in San Gabriel.  I worked at Sears Foothill store in Pasadena.  We always met at work.

My brother, Rev. James Hewett, 9 years my elder, married us on January 14, 1961, at Bethany Church of Sierra Madre.  Because I had no living parents, I was given away by Brice Carlson.  Carolyn, his wife, stood in as "Mother of the Bride."  My brother's wife, Avis, would have taken that position as mother, except that she was in the hospital for appendicitis.

After our wedding reception, Mike and I went to visit Avis in the hospital, so she could see the newly weds, wedding dress and all.  We sped off on a honeymoon in a new Chevy owned by Mike's dad, Harry.  We drove to Morro Bay and visited William Randolph Hearsts' San Simeon castle.

We returned home to Temple City to our first apartment.  Mike continued to sell musical instruments and sheet music.  I did student teaching in the San Gabriel school district.  We moved to Seattle in July 1962, the year of the world's fair and lived there all our married life.

Click here to play a love song Marie used to play for Mike.  It is Kate Smith singing My Cup Runneth Over.

 

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Our Children and Grandchildren

Our first born son, Jeffrey Michael Meaney

 

 

 

 

 

  

Our second born son, Timothy James Meaney 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"How many kids did you say we have?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our 4 Grandsons, TJ, Sam, Tom, and Jake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TJ Meaney

Christmas 2012 at Crossroads Bible Church, Bellevue, WA.

 

 

 

 

 

Jake Meaney, Christmas 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samuel Arden Meaney

 

 

 

 

 

Snugglin' with Sam

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas Michael Meaney, poor boy, born with no face...

 

 

 

 

Oops!  Just kidding

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Marie Today

Marie in the garden with Jack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The following brochure was created after Mike's death (12-11-10.)  It was intended to be handed out at Mike's Ugandan memorial service, June 2011.  It briefly explains our history and vision for Africa Village Ministries.

  

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This is our home in Bellevue, Washington, where we have lived for 45 years.  We designed it and had it custom built.  It holds our collections of memories of family, friends, work, hobbies, and travel.  We are both collectors.

 

This is our home in summer.

 

This is our home in winter.

 

 We built this cottage for Mike's mother to live, in her last days.  We call it Ruth's Cottage.  

 

We always enjoy decorating our home for Christmas.

 

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Our Friends

 Ivan and Loi were born in Uganda, but now they live just a couple miles away from us.  In August 2010, they insisted on taking Mike and I to Yellowstone with them.  This was a dream come true for Mike.  So all eight of us got in "the tank" and headed to Wyoming.  Little did we realize, this would be the last time we would have Mike with us.

Right until his last breath, Mike was always joking, teasing, and laughing.  Just so he could see other people smile.  If you go to "Stories" and read "My Wife Loves Snakes" you will read about another way he teased me.

 

Deborah and Paul Ritner have been our friends for many decades.  Our love for England, history, floral design, and anything funny, connects our four souls at the heart.

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Westminister Chapel 50th Anniversary Celebration