Alice Oliver

 

Alice Millner Oliver was married to William Washington Oliver Sr., better known as W.W., and was a very devout and devoted member of the church joining shortly after the Chapel was built.  As best as we could dig up from our old church records Alice and W.W. had 7 children baptized in the church, Keith, William II, Frank, Stanley, Marcus, C. Gordon and Alice.  When the Ladies Aid Society became Woman’s Missionary Society in 1927 Alice Oliver became their first president and again served as their president 10 yrs later.  The Chapel was dedicated to and named the Stanley and Alvis Oliver Chapel on May 1st, 2005, Alice’s son and daughter-in-law. 

 

 

Barbara Rieder

 

Barbara Makinson Rieder was another member of our Church family.  She was baptized in the Chapel as an infant, as were her sister and brother, Dorothy and Daniel.  She became a member of the Church as a teenager.  She later married Lothar F. Rieder and they had three daughters, Susan, Nancy and Jennifer, who were also all baptized in our Chapel.  She was a strong believer in what the Women’s Society of Christian Service stood for and did.  She served as past president of the WSCS and after moving away, returned and served as Chairman of her namesake circle for three years. 

 

 

Clara McCormick  

 

Claribel (Clara) Pettyjohn was born January 6, 1910 to Daniel and Mamie Pettyjohn in Washington County near Bristol, Virginia.  She was one of six children, Dewey, Leona, Claribel, Burris, Lucille and Kenneth.  She attended a small school in her early years where her Dad was a teacher.  She later attended Virginia High in Bristol.  The Pettyjohn girls all attended Radford College.  Clara graduated and returned to teach in the same little schoolhouse she attended.  She met Charles Albert McCormick Jr. (Mack) while he was still a ministerial student and married him in 1934.  They had three daughters, Cora, Anita and Mary.  Rev. McCormick served at Haygood Memorial Methodist Church from 1957 – 1961.  He suffered a stroke and died in 1965.  Clara was the inspiration for starting the women’s circles at Haygood since the Women’s Society of Christian Service (WSCS) had grown so large.  It seems fitting that we have a circle named in her honor.   Her love of the UMW went well beyond the church level, it lead her to serve as Coordinator of Global Concerns for the Abingdon District. 

 

 

Elizabeth Fairbanks. 

 

Elizabeth (Betty) Fairbanks was born in Brattleboro, VT and received her B. A. from Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts and her M. A. from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.  She taught at Mount Holyoke College and at Richmond Professional Institute in Richmond, VA prior to her studies at Kennedy School of Missions, Hartford Seminary, Hartford, CT, in 1945-1946.  Shortly after completing her missionary studies she went to India (July 1946) and was assigned to Gujarat, north of Bombay.  Her chief work areas were, but not confined to, language study and literacy in the villages.  A great deal of her time was also spent in relief work due to severe droughts in the Gujarat Conference including food-for-work projects and well digging for drinking water.  Some of the ladies of Haygood had the great blessing of meeting Miss Fairbanks at a reception held in her honor on October 16, 1988.  She died shortly after that. 

 

 

 

Hazeltine Nixon

 

The Hazeltine Nixon Circle is named for another member of our church.  Hazeltine Nixon was married to Julian C. Nixon.  They had four children:  Mary Catherine (Catherine); William (Billy); Julian H.; and Ann.  While being treated for tuberculosis in a sanitarium, located on the current sight of Willis Wayside, Hazeltine promised God that if she recovered she would dedicate the rest of her life to Him, AND SHE DID!  To aide in her recovery Mrs. Nixon’s doctor suggested she needed a restful and quiet setting so Julian, who was in real estate, purchased the A. Ewell farm at the end of Ewell Road on the Western Branch Lynnhaven River and moved the family there from Norfolk.  They very quickly became involved with the church, joining December 5, 1943 when Rev. E. Leon Smith lead the congregation, and became very active members.  Both Hazeltine and Catherine sang in the church choir and Ann (who attended the Juliard School of Music) served as church organist.  Many of the “long time” church members remember enjoying church picnics and attending church meetings on their beautiful property, which is still in the family.  Both Hazeltine and Catherine were members of the Clara McCormick Circle.  Hazeltine died January 25, 1976.  Her memory will live on in our church, not only did she have the honor of having a circle named after her, there is also a pew dedicated to the family in the main sanctuary and one of the beautiful stained glass windows is dedicated to her and Julian.  

 

 

Mary Woodward

 

Mary Woodward was born in Leesburg, VA on May 20, 1895 and was a direct descendant of Dr. Nelson Head, a prominent Methodist minister during the 19th century.  She taught school in a one-room schoolhouse in New Kent County prior to marrying Herbert M. Woodward, an attorney in West Point, VA.  They had two sons, Herbert M. Woodward, Jr. and Adin K. Woodward.  In 1948 the Woodwards moved to Witchduck Point where Mary became active in the Women’s Society of Christian Service (WSCS) at Haygood Methodist Church.  The Mary Woodward Circle was organized in 1958 and at that time was known as Circle #3.  It became the Mary Woodward Circle in June of 1964.  Mary was the WSCS president when the circle was organized.  Before becoming WSCS President at Haygood she held the office of President of the Norfolk District WSCS.  Mary, known as “sincere”, “a strong leader” and “a big woman with big ideas”, was also instrumental in forming the Council of Churches.  Upon hearing the Circle was being named after her wrote:  “With best wishes for the success of your (My!) Circle and may the great work mean to each of you the challenge and deep satisfaction it has to me.”  Mary died in March of 1966 but her circle lives on strong and is proudly keeping her memory alive. 

 

 

Susannah Wesley

 

Susannah Wesley was born in London, England on January 20, 1669, the 25th child of the Rev. Samuel and Mary Annesley, and died July 23, 1742.  Susannah, known as “The Spiritual Mother of Methodism,” married Samuel Wesley in 1689 and in a period of 21 years bore 19 children, 10 of who survived infancy.  Susannah Wesley was one the great mothers of history.  While Susannah took the education of her children seriously, she took her role as a spiritual mentor even more so. She wanted to be certain that her children had a deep understanding of Christianity and of life. She gave each child individual attention by purposefully setting aside one hour a week to each child. She wanted to influence each one of them as an individual and make sure that each one knew the Lord and were growing in their faith. To do that, she had to know them; to know them, she needed to invest the time; she reaped great rewards from that investment.  Her place in Christian history is based on what her sons accomplished.  Two of her sons, John (whom she called Jacky) founded the Methodist Church, and Charles wrote of over 9,000 hymns that still bring pleasure to churches three centuries later. 

 

 

Alberta Shelton

 

This is our newest circle started October 2007!  Alberta Shelton goes far beyond the thousands of ham biscuits that are the first thing everyone talks about when they remember this member of Haygood UMC.  Alberta Coiner Rodes married Berkley Walter Shelton, Jr. (a 3rd generation member of Haygood) in 1928 becoming a member in 1929.  “Miss Alberta” loved working with the youth working as their teacher and leader for many years.  When the junior choir was formed Miss Alberta became their choir mother providing them with refreshments and making most of their white choir cottas.  Her work with the Woman’s Society of Christian Service was done with the same passion.  Many members of the church had in their possession some of the items that Alberta made for the bazaars: aprons; puppy and kitten shaped pillows; cross-stitch and patchwork quilted pillows and sock clowns.  Alberta served as a past president of the current UMW and was a member of the Alice Oliver Circle.  As chair of the Altar Guild, Alberta spent every Saturday afternoon arranging the altar flowers.  Most of the flowers came from her garden and she used white flowers on Communion Sunday when possible.  Her talents appeared to be endless.  She sang in the choir and the first year they sang a Christmas cantata she designed and painted a huge mural that nearly filled the back wall of the chancel alcove.  Alberta served as a delegate from Haygood at the Affirmation Service of the Declaration of the Union of The Methodist Church in 1939, which officially united the Methodist “Church, South”, and “Church, North”.  She served as Local Works Chairman for many years keeping the parsonage furnished and livable, believing that the home of the pastor should be as least as nice as other homes in the area.  The church honored her on April 28, 1983 at “a retreat especially designated to honor Mrs. Alberta Shelton for her long association and service to the United Methodist Women”.  Alberta passed away on October 08, 2000 at the age of 99 and at that time was the oldest member of Haygood United Methodist Church.  Pause to think of her when you hear the bells chime; the Bell Tower is a memorial to Walter and Alberta given by their daughter Alberta Stornetta and her family.  The Chapel is equally filled with Shelton history, Walter’s parent’s, Berkley and Eva, marriage was the first one performed in it on June 02, 1897.