Thursday, March 24, 2022
I am so sorry to hear about Shelley's passing, which I just found out about today. Shelley was my best friend at Jennings Grammar School in New London, Connecticut, and we kept in touch up until we were young married women in the early 1970s. I remember too many things about her to list here, but one memory was that we lived only about three blocks apart and used to walk to school together, with other kids in the neighborhood joining us most mornings. One of those kids was a black boy who had a glass eye and was the butt of a lot of teasing and bullying, but Shelley and I refused to take part in that and took his side against the bullies. Because of our friendship with him, she and I were beat up in the park we crossed through to get home every day. I'm not surprised that she supported inner-city ministries and remained a Christian throughout her life.
She was an only child, while I was one of four. I loved visiting her house because it was so quiet and peaceful, but she always wanted to play at my house because, as she said, "There's always something happening here." She always wanted a large family, and I know her children brought her great joy. My condolences to the whole family. May she rest in peace with God for eternity.
Mary Elizabeth Lang
