Cheri Vassar
Arleen Parsley
Pine Bluff Christian Women’s Connection monthly luncheon will be held at the Pine Bluff Country Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.
The featured speaker will be Cheri Vassar from Enid, Okla. Her topic will be “Colors of Life”.
Vassar was raised in Menomonee Falls, Wis., and lived for several years in Memphis, Tenn. She worked for the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission before retiring after 27 years.
She is a widow with four children, 15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Her hobbies are gardening, crocheting, pickleball, painting, raising dogs with her son, old Jane Austin movies and watching football, especially her favorite team, the Oklahoma Sooners.
The special feature will be Arleen Parsley of Pine Bluff. Her topic will be “The Art of Quilting”.
Parsley grew up on a farm in Arkansas County. After she graduated from high school she moved to St. Louis to attend Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing. She graduated and passed her state boards to become a registered nurse. She moved to Pine Bluff in 1957 and worked at Davis Hospital then later at Jefferson Regional Medical Center. She made the decision along with her husband, a Pine Bluff police officer, to become a stay at home mom after the birth of their fifth child.
Parsley’s mother taught her how to crochet, embroider, sew and quilt. Quilting was a family affair with her mom and several aunts. In 1985 quilting was considered to be very passe’ and old fashioned. A group of quilters, including Parsley, organized a quilt guild, which has more than 40 members today.
Virginia Haertlein will be in charge of the decorations for the tables.
All women in Pine Bluff and surrounding communities are invited to attend the luncheon.
This event is sponsored by Christian Women’s Connection, which is part of the Stonecroft Ministries in Kansas City, Mo.
The cost of the luncheon is $13.50, which includes meal, tax and gratuity. To make a reservation, call Nancy Sumner at 870-879-2049.
