Maurine Pyle was one of the founders of Cloud Quakers. I had the idea, and had talked to her about it as an old friend from southern Illinois who would understand my feeling of being cut off, in the mountains, from a community of Quakers. Maurine was kind of a mentor to me, an elder. I would rely on her to keep it on a Quaker track, and she was there for me.
Cloud Quakers is now a few years old, and the time that she was an integral part of the meeting ended when she lost internet access. Eventually she retreated from Facebook as well, as she got sicker.
I'm grateful that people were there for her at the end. She was a true traveling minister, and she felt compelled to reach out wherever she went and find people that she could connect with. She was wonderful with ESL students, of whom there are many, and she played a huge role in our local meeting. She always spoke her mind. She didn't always agree with everyone, but she was always respectful and polite. I loved that about her, and we all loved her. Rest in Peace, Maurine!
