Nan: A Saint?

Eulogy by Matthew Gventer
given at Nan Yeomans' Funeral
I appreciate this chance to eulogize the life of Nan Yeomans. Nan lived over eighty one years. Those years were spent infusing her spirit into our community and building a legacy to us. Therefore, it is reasonable that we donate the time necessary to contemplate that legacy.

I am going to use my time to justify the view that Nan was a saint among us. That may seem to you to be an extreme assertion, especially considering that Nan was not demonstrative of religiosity. However, when I am finished I think you will recognize how fair my assertion is.

Let's begin with the quality of goodness. Nan was absolutely good. I never heard her say an unkind word. Service to others characterized her life. She was totally committed to social justice and a caring society. I think she lived the spirit of a cooperative commonwealth. It is interesting that the picture on the CKWS report of her death was one of Nan cutting ribbons for the Health Coalition's petition campaign to protect public medicare. The first of the pieces of Nan that Marilyn and I purchased was one called. Peace. It was a collagraph of the word Peace and a peace dove. It is done with such simplicity in design that it breathes the commitment to Peace in the world. A verse from Ecclesiastics that speaks of there being a time for all things, a time for war and a time of peace. I think Nan would see a time of war as a time for peace.

The second quality that characterizes Nan's life is simplicity. One could almost describe her life as ascetic. Certainly her ecological footprint, the extent to which she consumed more than her fair share of world resources, was minimal. Not that she sought self-denial. She just didn't participate in the consumerism of our age.

The third characteristic that defined Nan's saintliness was the universality of her life. Her family was the larger community. What she offered was available to everyone. Rather than having a few significant people in her life, she shared with everyone equally her love of art, of nature, of our heritage and of the experiences of current events.

The fourth characteristic that is wonderous about Nan is the legacy that she left to us. Natalie Mehra observed that it is ironic that Nan's art tended to be small gems while her artistic vision was so vast. The subject matter, the experimentation, the techniques, the unity of design, the simple beauty of her work reflects the profound sophistication underlying that artistic vision. Therefore, it is not surprising that she paid so much attention to and joined so widely in the arts world of our community. It is consistent with this vision that she willed all of her worldly belongings to the community.

A related expectation for a saint is life after death. I would leave any reference to other worldly life after death to Reverend Alston and to your personal concepts. In our world, Nan lives on through her vision of the world reflected in her art, through her contributions to our community institutions and through the way she lived her life. I am also pleased that she saw the completion of the video, Under My Shell which represents a living historical record.

Finally, when we think of saintliness, we think of inner peace. Nan didn't spend a lot of energy complaining or bemoaning the conditions of her life. I think that she didn't disclose things about herself because she had reached a sense of equanimity over such factors in her life. She concentrated her energies on those things about which she could do something and on those things that would share her vision. The words humble, placid, quiet may come to mind. I think those are not accurate. The words resolute, calm, self-confident are more descriptive of Nan. However, you choose to describe her, gentle is central. And there was an element of serenity in her being.

So it is not far-fetched to describe Nan Yeomans as saintly.

BACK

Created on ... August 29, 2004