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Where Have Our Widows Gone?

L

lee c smith jr

Guest
Do you remember a man named Orville Willingham(sp)? He used to give out widow's pins with a wonderfully beautiful ceremony. I don't know if the ceremony was his or was Masonry's, but it gave a recognition to her late husbands service to our fraternity and voiced our appreciation of knowing him and was to let her know if she needed us she could call on us.
When I was Master I created a widow's commitee to keep track of our Brother's Widows and see to any need. I received some negative feedback about women who abused our offer of assistance, but that's why I made a commitee to discern these necessities on a case by case basis. I have seen more brethern die in the last few years than ever before. More widows. Now what could be a better membership ploy than to do what we are obligated to do. However, what does it say about us when a widow is forgotten. How many members do you think we bring in that way?

Please Brethern, give me suggestions on how to better our lodges' response to a widow once our Brother and her husband has died. If there is something that you do in your lodge or something you have seen done please tell me because I would like to hear your ideas.
 
J

JEbeling

Guest
One thing that worked very well for a number of years was to have a widow's lunchen.. ! in most cases it was a saturday noon meal which worked well with the older ladies to get out.. ! it was always between thanksgiving and christmas.. ! and we gave out gifts .. ! flowers.. ! etc.. ! always had some kind of program.. ! one years we had singers others just music.. ! it always made a nice time for them to visit with other widows from out of town they had not seen for a while.. ! we also invited all widows in the area .. ! not just the ones in our lodge.. ! was very popular.. !

The pin is great to give when you do a funeral.. ! they can be purchased from Grand Lodge.. ! some cases we have the master or some family member give it to her.. ! but if no one is there .. ! when I finish the funeral and walk by to shake hands I give it to her.. !
 

jonesvilletexas

Premium Member
Brother Lee to answer this question, this forum could not do it justice so I have to go the light in masonry that lies open in every Lodge when open and it reads.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
 

rhitland

Founding Member
Premium Member
Alot of Widows are taken care of by family and friends not all of them and we need to indentify the ones that are not but all of the widows I am sure would love a night out of dinner and fun. Maybe Bingo night at the Lodge with some awesome Senior prizes and a knock out dinner, tell them to invite their friends also and I bet if you can coax them up there you will get a good idea of who needs help and who does not. My lodge unfortunatley does nothing for our widows at this time but maybe when more hands are on deck and our Lodge is back in order we will take that on.
Just another thought to make it a hit is rent a van to go pick up the ones who cannot drive.
 
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Joey

Co-Founder
Staff Member
Well, this past Saturday we had a banquet to honor our Mothers, Widows and Wives. It's been an annual event here in Gonzales for the past 13 years. It was started back all those years ago by WM Louis Bowen (passed this past September as WM).

I also (with Bro. Blake's help) designed a card to send out to our widows that just lets them know we are thinking about them and to let us know if there is anything we can assist them with.
 

Robert Marshall

Secretary, Waco 92
Premium Member
I'm digging up old posts, but thought I'd share this... Waco 92 has a tradition of delivering poinsettias to every widow of our Lodge come Christmas time. It's really a great pleasure to participate. Also, we try to take care of our widows as best we can including building a much needed shed for a MOST beloved widow this year.
 

cemab4y

Premium Member
My mother became a widow three weeks ago. No one from the lodge has visited her, or made any offer of assistance. How sad.

What I would like to see is this:

Every lodge should have a widow's committee.
Keep a record of all of your local masonic widows, whether their late husband belonged to your lodge or not.
Have a yearly widows banquet. Invite all masonic widows to attend.
Inform all widows that the lodge is there to assist, in matters where it can help. Driving them to the doctor, cleaning out the rain spouts on their house, assisting with legal assistance wills, etc.

You should have a refrigerator magnet made up, with the phone number of the lodge assistance committee chairman, and provide one to each masonic widow, so that they will know who to call when needed.

You should send a poinsettia and/or fruit basket to each widow, every Christmas season.

You should make every widow aware, that your lodge is grateful for their late husband's assistance when he was alive, and you appreciate all the nights when he went to lodge meetings. This is your way of expressing your gratitude.

This is only a beginning. I am sure that many lodges have excellent ways of assisting their widows.
 

Bigmel

Premium Member
Premium Member
Our Lodge has a tradition of delivering Fruit and Nut Baskets to our Widows before Christmas, last year we had 42, I believe. We also present Widows pins and certificates to all widows for the past year, starting last year we started presenting these pin and certificates during our open Officers Installation. We have a full meal and fellowship and this is the first official act of our new Worshipful Master. Any Widows who cannot attend their pins and certificates are delivered by a group of lodge members to the widow’s home. We strive to contact and stay in contact with all Widows from the time of the passing of our Brother. My Secretary’s database quickly prints out a Widows report and is automatically updates when The Brothers Info is updated.
 

Bigmel

Premium Member
Premium Member
Our Lodge has a tradition of delivering Fruit and Nut Baskets to our Widows before Christmas, last year we had 42, I believe. We also present Widows pins and certificates to all widows for the past year, starting last year we started presenting these pin and certificates during our open Officers Installation. We have a full meal and fellowship and this is the first official act of our new Worshipful Master. Any Widows who cannot attend their pins and certificates are delivered by a group of lodge members to the widow’s home. We strive to contact and stay in contact with all Widows from the time of the passing of our Brother. My Secretary’s database quickly prints out a Widows report and is automatically updates when The Brothers Info is updated.

We also have a Christmas Party,Santa Claus, Food, Gifts and Music the night we deliver the Baskets to thier home Everyone seems to enjoy every year.
 

Robert Marshall

Secretary, Waco 92
Premium Member
The beginning of your post saddens me greatly. Perhaps, in light of your own exposure, you can lead the way in your Lodge in the support of its widows.
 

Casey

Mandalorian
Premium Member
This is a pic of me pinning my mother's widows pin on her in our lodge. It was the first widow's pin she received since my dad passed, he passed in 02. It was a very special experience for us both to share. My wife is behind my mother, my daughter is holding my mother's arm. This was taken at our yearly widows dinner. Pine Tree 1396
P1000109.JPG
 
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