I met Peggy Campolo Saturday

[Ed Pettibone]

ED: Trudy officiated along with Bruce Johnson the Pastor of Clifton Park Center Baptist Church on Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Service for Martie Meek one of the members of both the North Creek and Minerva Churches. Because Jim and Martie had been at CPCBC for 17 years while Jim was Pastor there, that is where the service was held. There were several pastors and retired pastors from the both the Capital area Association and the Adirondack Association. As well as the NYS Ex Minister Dr. William Carlsen. Altogether about 160 persons. We had also had a visitation at the Funeral home up in the Village of Indian lake, where their house is, earlier in the week, and a bout 110 people stopped by. Bruce and Trudy met with the family in the fellowship hall about a half hour before the service was scheduled. There a huge display of quilts paintings, dolls and hand crafts that Martie had done during their 50 plus years of marriage as well a photo albums of trips to Alaska , And to Taiwan to visit Young Jim while he was there on the Peace corp. and to The Dominican Republic where they made several mission trips to assist in the building of a church and school sponsored by a church that Jim pastored years ago in Connecticut. Just after they had gone to the fellowship hall I looked out the window and saw Tony Campolo and an vivacious lady that was urging him to hurry. As they came into the building they where besieged by Marie and Herb Shilling and a number of other folk who have known Tony over the years Work on the ABC-USA national boards. I stepped in and introduced my self and asked Tony if he and Mrs. Campolo would care to join Jim and the family in the fellowship hall before the service And he replied that he would very much like to do that. On the winding way, he introduced me to "Peggy, my wife, my longtime love". I acknowledged that I had heard many good thing about her from the Meek family as my wife was Jim and Martie's Pastor. Young Jim had lived with She and Tony while he was in college, and has told us several stories. During the service Peggy and Tony both shared memories of Martie back in the days when she and Jim where newly weds and when, their children, Donna and Jimmy where born. After the service everyone retired to the fellowship hall for refreshments and to go through the L_O_N_G reception line to offer condolences. I over heard some one comment on Tony making such a long drive ( Philadelphia to about 15 miles north of Albany) and Tony replied "Well would like to think that I would have done it anyway but Jim was such a real help for me when my dad died, and we loved Martie, so I just had to be here." Before they left Peggy looked me up to thank me for including she and Tony in the family gathering prior to the service. They where heading to some place in New Jersey where Tony will be preaching in the morning service.