Alumni Class Notes for May 2020

Editor’s Note: For the forthcoming Alumni Directory (which will be available in print and digital versions), I’d like to add a section of “then and now” photos to add to the front pages of the book. Would you consider emailing us a recent photo plus a photo of when you were in college plus a short description of the people and places pictured? Email us at alumni@tkc.edu. Thank you!

Janet Ann Davis (née Bashoor) passed away on April 17, 2020 at the age of 86. She attended King’s from 1953-56.

Dr. Christian “Chris” W. Matthews of Grand Rapids, Mich. passed away unexpectedly on March 6th. Chris and his wife, Elaine (Ochs) Matthews, were both Class of 1956 at The King’s College.

Keith E. Yandell, former professor of philosophy at The King’s College, passed away on April 28, 2020. Professor Yandell taught at King’s in the early 1960s when the College was located in Briarcliff Manor, New York. He spent much of his teaching career at University of Wisconsin-Madison and during his lifetime published 6 books and over 100 articles and chapters. A 2005 Christian Worldview conference was held in honor of his contributions to the philosophy of religion. Read his full obituary here.

Jackie Deane (NBC ’73), wife to George Deane (NBC ’71) was peacefully called to heaven on April 17, 2020 at the age of 69. George included a full obituary, below, as well as the following pictures: “The five family pictures are from our college days and provide a then and now reference for you along with the earlier picture of us together taken just this past December 2019. That’s Jackie’s dad in the kitchen, her mom in yellow and white standing in the group singing at home to the piano with Jackie on the piano bench, and us in our college days. I don’t know what someone like her ever saw in me, but greater yet I don’t know what God ever saw in me to take me unto Himself.”

JACQUELINE OPAL (WAYSON) DEANE
Jackie was born on Staten Island, NY, August 27, 1950, and was peacefully called to Heaven April 17, 2020 at the age of 69 after the unexpected onset of non-smoking COPD which was managed with absolute compassion, dignity and care by Cornerstone VNA Hospice staff and family at home in Rochester, New Hampshire.
She graduated from New Dorp High School on Staten Island, and attended New Dorp Baptist Church along with her family. In 1968, before heading to college she commuted daily into NYC to work in a clerical position at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP law firm in Manhattan. In 1969 Jackie began her freshman year at Northeastern Bible College in Essex Fells, NJ, and it was there she met her husband George N Deane, a now retired police Lieutenant of 28 years with the Neptune Township Police Department in Monmouth County, NJ. At college she was an active member of the choir and a Christian folk group both singing and playing the acoustic guitar. After George’s college graduation in 1971 they were married and resided in the Great Kills area of Staten Island where she worked in the local Allstate Insurance office. They then moved to Oakhurst, NJ, until George started with the Neptune Township Police Department in 1973. All the while Jackie maintained an active singing ministry in church choirs, cantatas, weddings, with Jay Polito’s Living Word Singers, and approaching 1990 was a featured soloist for several years at the New Jersey State Police Memorial Service held at the Ocean Grove Auditorium in Neptune, NJ. She went on to work in the finance department of Sears and Roebuck in Ocean Township, NJ, then worked years in the classified ad department of the Asbury Park Press, and before retiring, was employed for 11 years by the Murphy Bus Company driving a school bus for special needs children, all of whom she adored. In February 2019 Jackie and George relocated to New Hampshire to reside with their oldest daughter and her family while developing their property in Madison, NH with plans to build their dream home. Previously Jackie and George regularly attended CrossPoint Church in Farmingdale, NJ (www.crosspointnj.com) under the ministry of Pastor Daniel Brindley, and now in New Hampshire faithfully attended True Memorial Baptist Church in Rochester, NH (www.truememorial.org) under the ministry of Pastor Rick Lamirande.
Jackie was predeceased by her paternal grandparents James and Amy Wayson, maternal grandparents Roy and Ellen Oliver, parents James and Opal Wayson of Chestertown, NY, brothers Robert Oliver Wayson and James M Wayson, grandparents-in-law Noel Wellington and Vivian Deane of Neptune, NJ and George and Ann Golick of Trafford, PA, and son Jason Noel Deane who died September 3, 1977 at birth, father-in-law Robert Noel Deane and wife Edith Jean Deane of Neptune, NJ. She is survived by her husband George Noel Deane, daughters Jessica Miehle, Janel Coughlin, and Juliet, sister Ruth Ellen Jorgensen and her husband George Jorgensen, brother Roy Eugene Wayson, grandchildren Anthony William and Noel Wellington Miehle, in-laws Donna, David, and Edward Deane and Lisa Ferrigno, nephews George, Michael and Jason Jorgensen and many others principally in Staten Island NY, Neptune NJ, and both Trafford and Nazareth, PA.
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic public gathering restrictions, funeral home and graveside services will be family only and will be managed by the Francioni, Taylor and Lopez Funeral Home in Neptune, NJ with interment to take place at Monmouth Memorial Park in Tinton Falls, NJ. Services will be presided over by Pastor Daniel Brindley of CrossPoint Church. Cards may be mailed to 10 Friendship St Rochester, NH 03867. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to True Memorial Baptist Church (Benevolent Fund) to help the needy via 21 Ten Rod Road Rochester, NH 03866. Jackie is dearly missed by all who knew her, but we have peace knowing that we will be reunited in Heaven thanks to Jesus Christ providing ultimate victory over death in this life with life anew in the hereafter. We miss you Jackie, we love you, and we’ll be together again.

Nancy Estelle Weaver passed away Tuesday, April 21, 2020, after fighting a courageous fight with Lymphedema, double pneumonia and Covid-19. She was 63 and an alumna of Northeastern Bible College, in Essex Fells, New Jersey.

Emily Schatz (PPE ’11) wrote the following on Facebook (read the whole thread, with comments, here):

“I see our alumni doing so many great things during this time in isolation, I figured it was time to name some names. Here are just a few stories off the top of my head, in a not-very-consistent order of my hearing about them:

• Aaron Craig and We Are Films organized a Quarantine Film Festival to encourage fellow creators to keep their skills and imaginations sharp, though the industry is largely on pause. Entrants were to make a film with only the people sheltering in place with them.
• Two Cities Pizza Co. of Mason, Ohio, co-owned by Sean Spurlock, donated 90 pizzas for healthcare workers and has partnered with local charities to make sure people in his city have enough to eat.
• Eric D. S. Dorman and his brother offered original worship songs during Easter week via their “Dorman Distance Duets,” beautiful enough to freeze you in your tracks. I believe they’re public on his Facebook page.
• Dustin Pope has just started a cooking blog, but he already posted about that so you should check out his link.
• Madison Peace has finished law school AND is getting married in less than 2 weeks! Now THAT is keeping civilization going in spite of itself. Also, Matt Fillingame has finished medical school and if I’m not mistaken Ray Davison has finished seminary. Serious congratulations to you all, and I know there are others! I think I’ve been hearing of some grad school admissions, too.
• In equal measure to how little I envy women who have to go through labor right now, I’m in awe of their strength and valor. Liz J Gonzalez, Jane (Clark) Scharl, Rebecca (King) Keller, and Catherine Ohbayashi have all given birth to new babies in the last few weeks (one boy and three girls), and at least two more little girls are soon to follow. May these new lives be surrounded with love and rejoicing, and may all the difficulties that can trouble mothers of newborns be shut out in the great peace and protection of our God.
• On April 28, Marjorie Absalom Linton, the first person to receive a King’s diploma EVER, turned 100 years old in San Diego, and I had the very great pleasure of wishing someone a happy hundredth birthday for the first time in my life. She is a treasure.

These are just from my own friends and acquaintances. This is a splendid community that goes far beyond my circle of knowledge and I would love to hear what else everyone is seeing among all our friends as we strive to redeem this time, separately and together.”