Hezekiah Olabode Obafemi, July 26. He is the first child of Olabode and Rachel (Carobine) Obafemi, of Round Lake Beach, IL.

Steve nicknamed his son "Peanut" and sent us some pictures. Here's the "Peanut" gallery:

Elijah Miguel Ramos, Aug. 1, first child of Steve and Beth Ramos, of Tulsa, OK. According to the father, Elizabeth Anne Ramos delivered by natural means, without painkillers, a very large 9 pound 6 ounce baby boy after only six hours at the hospital. Dad is immensely proud of the heroic effort of his beautiful wife.

Samantha Mariska Stonick, March 28, first child of Greg and Stephanie (Black) Stonick, of Pasadena, CA. Samantha is the first grandchild of Ed and Nancy Stonick and Tom and Sue Black.

Brandon Cole Tuckus, June 16, first child of Richard and Sonya (Timms) Tuckus, of Lexington, SC. The maternal grandparents are Patrick and Ruth Timms.

Donald Weaver Jr. and Rebecca (Cocherell) Weaver of Sacramento, CA, are pleased to announce the Sept. 9 wedding of their daughter Kathryne Weaver to Frank Hurtado, in Martinez, CA.

Arthur and Eula Carlisle celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 1. Mr. Carlisle is a co-pastor of the New Covenant Church of God in Montgomery, AL. Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle have six daughters, Jeannie LeGrand, Delaphine Brown, Janie Carlisle, Esther (Philip) Doele, Juanita (Alvin) Pollard and Jacquelyn Carlisle, and two sons: Lee (Irma) Carlisle and Dr. Arthur (Harriet) Carlisle. Their daughter Aurthurine (Tina) Carlisle is deceased. They have six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The Carlisles were baptized by Roger Foster at the Festival in Big Sandy, TX, in 1961.

The celebration was held at The Alabama Commerce Center in Montgomery, AL. Alan Barr, district superintendent from Atlanta, performed the ceremony for the renewal of the vows. A reception and program followed in which the couple was presented gifts, including a special anniversary quilt from their children and engraved gold watches from Arthur and Harriet. They also received several proclamations, including ones from Dr. Tkach, Curtis May, director of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, and one from the Department of Human Resources of the State of Alabama.

Betty Beville, a deaconess in New Covenant Church of God, was the director of the celebration, assisted by Sylvia Garrison. The celebration was attended by about 100 guests, including several of their former pastors. A great time was enjoyed by all. Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle extend their gratitude to all who prayed, called, visited, sent cards, gifts or attended their Golden Anniversary celebration—truly, the best is yet to come!

Paul and Olga Jendrek celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary August 2. They returned to the Canadian Rockies where they had spent their honeymoon. They attend Grace Christian Fellowship (WCG) in Kenilworth, NJ. They have three children.

David and Rhonda Robinson celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on June 20. Both were baptized in 1970, and are the proud parents of four lovely daughters. David is a elder, and Rhonda a deaconess in the 24/7 Community Church, in Newark, NJ.

96 and going strong

Hilda Johnson, a long-time deaconess in the Everett, WA, congregation, turned 96 in August. She is active in services overseeing the weekly coffee service and the finger foods on the first service of each month. She does opening prayers and reads to the younger children during their story time part of the service. She hosts the ladies Bible study twice a month and attends the Everett small group Bible studies every 2 weeks. Hilda uses a walker to get around, but that hasn't stopped her from serving others. She corresponds with friends she has served over the years and enjoys hearing from them.

Frank was a Navy veteran, serving from 1951-1962. He was stationed at the Olathe Naval Air Base as a parachute rigger. He worked for the Social Security Administration until his retirement six years ago. He served for a total of 35 years in government service.

Frank came into the WCG in 1961 and was a deacon in the Kansas City congregation. He sang in the chorale, performed special music in church, sang for weddings and served as a worship leader.

Nancy Bruhn, 65, of Big Sandy, TX, died Aug. 19. She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law: Albert, Jr. and Barbara Bruhn of Big Sandy, Gary and Debbie Bruhn of Gladewater, Jeff and Laurie Bruhn of Longview; three daughters and sons-in-law: Sarah and James Gillen of Texarkana, Catherine and Jeff Morris of Beverly Hills, CA, Alisa and T.J. Harris of Gilmer; ten grandchildren, a sister and a brother-in-law: Sarah and David Wainwright of Fairview, CA; and a brother and sister-in-law: David and Kitty Hanson, of Ore City, TX. She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert Bruhn, Sr., and her mother, Ruby Lee Hanson.

Elcita Clarke, 75, died on Aug. 9. Left to cherish her fond and loving memories are her husband of 55 years, Frank Clarke, son, Michael Clarke, and his spouse, Jennifer Forde-Clarke, one grandchild, Cassandra Clarke, four sisters, one brother, and a host of other relatives. Mrs. Clarke joined the WCG congregation in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1968 and served faithfully until death. She was a faithful, loving servant of God, who will be sorely missed.

Mary E. Doerr, 79, of Duluth, MN, and Mayville, MI, died Aug. 1 with her family. She was a member of WCG for 44 years. She is survived by her children: Thomas (Kathy) Doerr, Susan (Thomas) McKeown, James (Laure) Doerr, Judy (Donald) Carlson, daughter-in-law Colleen Doerr, one sister, thirteen grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry, in 2001 and a son, Henry Jr., in 1996, one sister and two brothers.

Bobby Fisher, 85, of Veneta, OR. On Wednesday, August 30, the WCG lost its last founding member, 85-year-old Bobby Fisher. She passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her sister, daughters, granddaughters and friends. With her passing, Bobby left a legacy of over 70 years of faithful service to our fellowship.

Bobby’s home was less than a mile from the old Jeans Schoolhouse (now a private residence), where as a young teen she helped set the building up for Herbert Armstrong's evangelistic campaigns. Mr. Armstrong wrote in his autobiography of staying on the Fisher farm during those formative years of the church, and Bobby often told stories of helping mimeograph and distribute fliers for those and various other speaking events. Bobby would later marry Marvin Fisher, who died in 1967.

Mr. Armstrong baptized Bobby while she was in her early teens, and she often spent time with the Armstrongs in their Eugene home. She said it was her responsibility to help spreading sawdust on the floor at the front of each meeting room or tent so people responding to the altar call would have a place to kneel. She said that in the early years, Mr. Armstrong would never preach without giving people a chance to come forward and make a commitment.

Bobby’s strong faith carried her though many trials in her life, and one could not be around her long without finding encouragement, even in the face of extreme loss. Bobby truly fought the good fight and kept the faith. She will be missed. A memorial service to celebrate the life of this incredible woman was held on Sept. 9 at the Lane Memorial Gardens in Eugene.

Beatrice French, 74, died June 22 of emphysema. She joined the WCG in 1982 and is survived by her husband, Jack, two sons, two brothers, one sister, and seven grandchildren. She attended the Melbourne, FL, congregation.

Grace Peters, 75, of Cornwall Island, Ontario, Canada, died on August 4. She was the mother of Georgia Masiewicz (John) of Mission Viejo, CA, Marilyn McGovern of Cornwall Island, Ontario, John Peters (Sharon) of St. Regis, Quebec, Denise Johnston (Darryl) of Regina, Sask., Bernadette Peters of Calgary, Alberta, Stella Hiebert (Dan) of Calgary, Alberta, G. Allan Peters (Jamie) of Colorado Springs, CO, Claudette Peters (Ray) of Colorado Springs, Judy Peters (Victor) of Nepean, Ontario, and Walter Peters (Monica) of the Cayman Islands. She was preceded in death by her husband, Angus Peters, and three sons; Mitchell, Joseph, and Angus Peters Jr., and by a daughter, Brenda Peters. She is survived by two sisters, one brother, 13 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

Jessie Vernon Shoemaker, 91, of Big Sandy, TX, died after an automobile accident on July 26. Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker had no children of their own, but Lois (Weber) and Rick Peterson and their children, James, Anna, and Josette, are the Shoemaker’s children and grandchildren. Mr. Shoemaker served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, and after 22 years, retired as a Master Sergeant.

David Paul Smith, 58, of Big Sandy, TX, died July 12 of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was the mayor of Big Sandy 1997-2001. He is survived by his wife, Linda Moll Smith, three sons: Shane Andrew Fuquea Smith of Bayji, Iraq, Rory Michael David Smith of Big Sandy, Rafferty Joseph Strahan Smith of Mosul, Iraq; five sisters and four brothers. Two brothers preceded him in death.