Taryn Kelly
(March 13, 1980 to September 7, 1999) is best remembered, by her
campers and fellow staff members, for being extremely passionate about
reaching children and young people for Christ. Taryn spent two summers
ministering as a camp counselor and saw many campers put their faith in
Jesus Christ as Savior while in her care. She grew up attending Family
Camps with her parents and brothers and also attending youth camps. The
Memorial Scholarship Fund at Camp Gilead was founded by her parents, Jim
& Lynn Kelly, to reach out to more youth with the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Abby
Cunningham (July 12,
1984 to January 31, 2001) is remembered by
family and friends for her devotion to Jesus Christ. She dreamed of all
her family and friends, in fact her whole school, coming to Christ.
Abby enjoyed helping in the toddler class at her church and had
travelled with her youth group to Mexico on a mission trip. She spent
the summer of 2000 as a "Leader in Training" (LIT) here at Camp Gilead,
where she developed incredible friendships with her co-workers and
encouraged everyone with her enthusiasm and her brilliant smile. Many
friends and family members have attended camp at her invitation. Her
deepest desire was to have them hear God's Word and accept Jesus.
Ruth Mehner
(April 3, 1918 - October 3, 2001) began her involvement with
Camp Gilead when Tabernacle Baptist Church first began developing the
property in 1948. She and her family were among the workcrews who
labored so diligently to build the facilities. Her children,
grandchildren and now her great grandchildren attended camps and
retreats here. After retirement, she and her husband, Bob, settled here
at the camp and spent many years volunteering in the areas of
maintenance and housekeeping. She was a faithful servant of God and a
wonderful friend and mentor.
Travis Reierson
(March 3, 1987 to March 21, 2003)
loved CampGilead! The highlight of his
summers was to see all his friends, both old and new, at camp. Travis
felt totally comfortable and engaged at camp, and more than anything
else, he wanted others to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal
Savior. There is a bench at
CampGilead, dedicated to Travis’
memory, with the words “proud member of the bench crew,” inscribed on
it. That was because he and his friends hung out there the year he
broke his nose at camp. He wouldn’t come home for anything…not even
that! His family and friends love and miss him and we all know that
“we’ll see him when we get HOME!”
David
Spengler (May 29, 1939 to September 2, 2006) grew up at
Tabernacle Baptist Church, located on Capital Hill in Seattle. When Mrs.
Faull donated the property on the Snoqualmie River to the church, the
families of Tabernacle immediately began work on the facilities, making
them “habitable” for campers. David was part of those first crews in
1948 and was assigned to the “Chicken Coop Brigade.” It doesn’t take
much imagination to figure out exactly what his job was! He continued to
serve on the camp construction crews throughout his youth and made many
spiritual decisions as a camper at Gilead. He and his wife, Carol, both
served as counselors during their college years and continued to be a
part of the camp ministry during their marriage. In 1974 David and Carol
joined First Baptist Church of Eastgate, in Bellevue, and brought that
enthusiasm for Camp Gilead with them. David never forgot the part that
Camp Gilead played in his life and would want other kids to have the
same fond memories that he enjoyed from 1948 till he went to Heaven in
2006!
Angie
Franklin (March 8, 1990 to March 20, 2007) first attended
Camp Gilead as a Jr. High camper in 2002. She loved being at camp,
hanging out at Pop’s Inn, laughing, teasing and visiting with anyone
who walked by. She made some of her best friends there and everyone
loved her funny personality and her ability to make people laugh
with her. Her favorite part of camp was the singing and worship
times, and Angie dedicated her life to the Lord while she was at
Camp Gilead. Angie served on the High School staff during the
summer of 2005. She worked hard while on staff and was thrilled to
see two of her campers come to know the Lord that summer. Family
was extremely important to Angie and she was very close to her Dad,
Mom and two brothers. She was a “little sister” to many of the
older staff and a dear friend, who will be greatly missed, to
everyone else. Her favorite scripture verses were Proverbs 3: 5-6.
Don Vogel(February 7, 1930 - September 15, 2007) was the father and grandfather
to several happy campers here at Camp Gilead. During the last several
years of his life, he regularly inspected the American flag flying at
the camp and replaced it whenever he felt it was time. He was
passionate about and involved with his church, his community and his
country.
Karen Carlson (October 20, 1956 to
December 11, 2007)