Update as of 6/04/09

John and Laura have been busy working out all remaining details for both services.  Laura is arranging the Houston service and John is handling the details in Alpine.  It has been a few days since the last post, so it’s probably a good idea to update everyone with an outline of where things stand. Below is a quick rundown – hopefully the next post will provide answers to outstanding questions, if there are any.

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Elizabeth, 1956

Houston Service – The June 14 date is confirmed at 2pm, with reception to follow on the premises at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church.

Photographs of Elizabeth – Do you have a photograph of Elizabeth that you are fond of?  Why not slip the photograph into an inexpensive frame (with a leg to stand it up) for placement on a table at the Palmer reception following the Houston service? The idea is to create a table with images of Elizabeth that celebrate her life, stimulate our memories and help all of us learn something about her that we may not have known. The image itself is more important than a fancy frame or a large blow-up. Feel free to put your name on the back of the frame and take it with you when you depart. While Laura and John also welcome you to email images of Elizabeth, they will be unable to make any prints before the service.

Flowers – For those wishing to send flowers (for either the Houston or Alpine service), the family respectfully requests that, instead, a donation of your choosing be sent to Elizabeth’s church in Alpine. We are making such a request because the church and it’s members in Alpine provided much love, caring and strength to Elizabeth in her years there and the family wishes to express its gratitude to the community. Also, as the service planned for Elizabeth in Alpine (see below) is being provided as a gift from the church to the family, we feel that donations are especially appropriate. Moreover, the Alpine church has its own silk flowers – a number of the town’s residents apparently moved to West Texas due to pollen sensitivity – so it is not advisable to send flowers to the church in Alpine. Checks can be made out to First Presbyterian Church. On the memo line of the check please write: Memorial Fund – E. McBride. The mailing address is: First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 1013, Alpine, TX 79831.

Houston Accomodations – Elizabeth’s sister Jerrie Lee Wilmore has been kind enough to arrange for a group rate at the Hilton Houston Plaza Medical Center Hotel at at 6633 Travis Street (convenient to the service at Palmer). Use the discount code “MCB” or “McBride Memorial” to obtain a rate of $89/night by calling either 800-445-8667 or 713-313-4000. A $20 surcharge is due if more than two adults per room, and we have been reminded that it is prohibited to bring in alcohol purchased outside the hotel. We have been told that the rooms are spacious with the possibility of connecting rooms but please confirm this when making a reservation.

Alpine Service – John has confirmed Saturday, June 20th at 1:00 pm with Rev. JoBeth McLeod of First Presbyterian Church for the service in Alpine. The family requests that donations to the church be sent in lieu of flowers – please read the “Flowers” paragraph above. There will be no service at the funeral home in Alpine as the memorial has been moved to Elizabeth’s church.

Alpine Accomodations – If you wish to attend the service in Alpine and are looking for a place to stay, we are told that the Alpine Texas Visitor Center website is the place to start.

Missing Information? – Please let us know if we are leaving out any critical information on the services for Elizabeth by emailing us at johnandlauramcbride@gmail.com. We’ll be happy to include any requested information in the next post.

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Pigtails, 1944

John is currently in El Paso and expects to travel to Alpine on Friday or Saturday.

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