Deena

Deena Stirling

My first memory of Deena was about 1981, she was walking around Dana Point Calvary Chapel organizing a Christmas play, she was always laughing.

A few years went by and I saw her in the parking lot of Capo Beach Calvary after we had moved into the new building, she was kind of shaken, she had just found out she was going to have a baby, the doctors told her it was a bit sketchy having a baby after she had had so many back problems. She was running the children's ministry with Dave Taylor. She really needed to be on bedrest near the end, so I eventually took over her job while she raised her small children.

Deena is wonderful, she and I were a pair, we would laugh at tragedies, cry during joyful times, we both had radar...radar to spot talent, giftedness, danger, etc. God blessed us with 20+ years dragging our old tired bodies to Indian Village to have the times of our lives. Years of week in and week out, working with wonderful volunteers, a great staff and congregation. One of our mutually favorite memories is going to Indian Village and having a little boy Tyler get something in his eyes, he is screaming at the top of his lungs that he is blind he can't see, so Deena and I get in the car to drive him to the hospital...when we get to the hospital parking lot I said "Tyler do you want to go in the hospital and cost your parents tons of money or do you want to go to McDonalds and get some ice cream?" and Tyler pulled his hands away from his eyes and said "ICE CREAM". We laughed and laughed about that.

I always admired Deena's parenting skills, I try to be like her when I deal with my own kids, she used to say, "I always have a treat for the kids after school", she was always the softie with her kids and I am with mine. Her heart is pure gold. She would walk over hot coals for you if she thought it would do you some good. She loved my children when they had no extended family to show them love, for that I will always be grateful. She has always been the best representative of Jesus Christ, the real Jesus, who loves, understands, accepts, reaches out to, I love you Deena.

If you ever get a chance to have a friend like Deena, congratulations, you are blessed.

See you soon