[Dialogue] A Great Life Completed

[Marilyn R Crocker]

Dear Gordon and all of our "beloved" community,

Yes, there must be a multitude of stories that allow us to remember the
intersection of each of our lives with the great human being  to whom JWM
lovingly referred as "the Wild Man."  Rupert was so passionate and
committed to his vision for Africa's renewal and the Order's vision for
local community renewal that he often seemed a bit "off the wall," hence
the affectionate moniker.

Joe and I were just remembering, with deep thanks, our dear friend and
colleague: 
In Kenya after the Kawangware Consult, Rupert took us and others out into
the bush on a Rupert-made safari. The HDP Consult in November 1976
coincided with the meeting of the World Council of Churches in Nairobi,
and many of our clergy on site attended.  Joe and I were invited by
Bishop Jim Mathews (Joe's former Bishop in New England) to join him on an
excursion to the famous Treetops resort. However,  there was no way we
could swing that financially and we declined.  When Rupert heard about
this he quickly arranged an even better alternative. He did the driving
in some kind of bush jeep and took us into what we were convinced was
totally unexplored terrain.  The earth seemed heretofore untrodden, save
by animals -- whose gentle presence there in a natural habitat was more
than breathtaking to all of us.  I began to understand Rupert's deep
connection to this part of planet earth.
Our last in-depth time with Rupert was about 15 years ago when he simply
"showed up" in the Boston area, where we were living.  Actually I think
he had been visiting with Abednego who was somewhere nearby, perhaps in
New Hampshire.  We invited him for dinner, and he became like that
proverbial man who came to dinner and stayed for almost a week.  During
those several days of long, late-into-the-evening conversations, Rupert
expostulated passionately on his agricultural dream for Africa,
especially for Kenya.  He also spoke at great length of his love for his
three sons.
As Joe and I celebrate Rupert's life, we are conscious of the members of
his wonderful extended family, whose lives have been indelibly marked by
his being, and whose gifts and energies also profoundly shaped his life. 
Joe and I think especially of those we have known over the years since
1968: Linda; Abednego: Daudi & Elena; and Jonathan -- and extend to them
our condolences on the loss of this wondrous human being.

Grace, peace and love,

Marilyn and Joe Crocker

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:56:50 -0700 Gordon Harper
<gharper1 at mindspring.com> writes:
Colleagues --

Just a brief note at the moment.  We'll want to pause for a moment to
celebrate the completion of a wondrous life, that of John Rupert Barnes,
who died yesterday in Kenya.  I just had word of it from daughter Elena. 


Ah, the stories we'll tell . . . .

Gordon



Marilyn R. Crocker, Ed.D
Crocker & Associates, Inc.
123 Sanborn Road
West Newfield, ME 04095
(207) 793-3711
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