Nick arranged the altar flowers at the Cathedral every week for a number of years. Nick was an artist in many ways, and arranging the altar flowers was one way he shared that gift with the Church.

Another way Nick shared his artistic gift was through hand-painted Easter eggs. He used wooden eggs, rather than blown natural eggs. These eggs were given to the Sunday School teachers. One example is below, under "Easter Phoenix"; another example is above. Considering these wooden eggs are the same size as an average hen's egg, the detail is impressive.

Fran has a glass bowl full of eggs painted by Nick. She and her husband Gary also have a painting, and a beautiful sculpture done by Nick.


Chris tells the story of how Nick slipped a painted egg into his pocket last Easter (or maybe the prior Easter).  Chris believes to this day that Nick "stole" one of the eggs in Fran's bowl.

Nick died the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving.  He was arranging the flowers for Sunday, with a special Thanksgiving theme.  He passed out, and was rushed to the nearest hospital.  By the time the ambulance reached the hospital, Nick was dead.

I never met Nick.  Based on the stories told, I would have remembered him. As Fran said, "He would not let you ignore him."

At the funeral, Dean Back referred to Nick as a "Child of God." Certainly, Nick had been baptized into God's family; but he did not have all the rights & privileges of any other member.

The church would not recognize Nick's relationship with Jim. The church has no service for such unions. When Jim died earlier the same year, their relationship could not be officially recognized. 

If Nick had been ordained to the priesthood, he could not have had such an open relationship with Jim.  Nor, according to many, could he be a Bishop.

Were Nick and Jim such notorious sinners?  It's hard to believe that; their relationship lasted more than a decade (15-20, I believe). In the gift of these eggs, in the altar flowers, we see how freely Nick shared himself with God's family.

In the stories told this Sunday, I saw how deeply Nick touched many lives in God's family.

Isn't it about time we accepted Nick and Jim, as well as Edie and Gail, as full members of God's family?