An independent, college preparatory, co-ed, Episcopal Day School serves a community of students in grades 6-12.
Issue link: http://palmertrinityschool.uberflip.com/i/1391390
her new daughters to the family. She cherished family holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas, arriving with arms full of gifts and a heart full of love for her eight grandchildren. Each summer, she would host "Camp Memaw," allowing her sons and their wives to get time away—so typical of her giving spirit. She hosted Bible study every Saturday in her home and served as a hostess in her church, too; I wasn't a member there, but I cannot think of a more perfect role for Vivian. I t was the day of her passing, in October 2020, that all of this so revealed itself in her office. Upon hearing the shattering news, a group spontaneously gathered there, as if she had drawn the people that needed her together. Within ten minutes, eight women were standing there crying in shock and trying to fathom the great void thrust upon us in that moment. A loud silence ensued as the chasm of her death sat upon us. The shockwaves reverberated, but so did her calming presence, so palpable in an office filled with her porcelain angels and words of inspiration. Then came the hugs that broke through COVID. Walking across campus the next day, there was heaviness in the air, knowing glances and pained faces passed each other silently across the courtyard. Our dear chaplain set up an area for faculty to sit and reflect. All day long, stunned faculty and staff sat and wrote notes of reflection pondering just how this could be. Her picture quickly appeared in the entrance of the faculty lounge— now her bright smile welcomes all just like it did when she was here with us. Vivian's last words to me were the day before she passed. They were along the lines of, "God will work this out. He has a plan and you do not need to worry about it anymore." She had such unwavering faith. May her words then offer you the same comfort they did for me now. In February this year, we opened our Trinity Chapel, a dream Vivian had long waited to see fulfilled. In fact, she had always said she could not retire until it was fully finished. She often said, "It will be the heart of our campus." I can't think of a more perfect way to honor her now as we have in Trinity Chapel, naming the choir loft in honor of Vivian herself—someone who was the heart of our school for so many years. S U MME R 2 0 2 1 25