Our September "Steward of the Month" is the "team" of Dick and Mildred Grocott. Married
now for 69 years, they are quite a team. Dick was a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church
when the church was located in Trenton. He was baptized and confirmed there. After marrying
Mildred, they became members of Bethel Lutheran Church because it was across the street from
where they lived. They did not have a car and in order to get to St. Mark's on a Sunday
morning, they would have had to take two buses!
They rejoined St. Mark's in 1974 and have been active members for more than 30 years. Over
those 30 years, Dick had been involved with the property committee and served as an usher, always
willing to step in when needed. Mildred has been, and still is, involved with the WELCA group
and Dick is an honorary member since the both of them spent the last 25+ years coordinating the
Toy Appeal at Christmastime for the Parkside Children's Home Society, retiring from that job
just last year.
Mildred and Dick also teamed up several years ago as Altar Guild servers. Dick was a little
reluctant at first, but it quickly became a meaningful experience for him. Although they no
longer serve on the Altar Guild, they are always available on a "consulting basis" (i.e. ironing
tips, etc.) for the newer members of Altar Guild.
Mildred and Dick currently serve on the Social Ministry Team, are Sunday bulletin assemblers,
and are flower deliverers. Mildred coordinates the flower delivery list. They both also serve
on the "news crew" helping with our monthly newsletter mailings.
Since they have been so active over the years, you will be surprised to learn that neither
Mildred nor Dick has ever served on Church Council. They are a perfect example of church
members who do countless tasks for our church and congregation "behind the scenes".
Dick and Mildred have also been very active in our community over the years delivering for
Meals on Wheels, and Mildred was a "robin" at Sayen School for 11 years and volunteered at
Robert Wood Johnson Hospital for 25 years! WOW!
Mildred is a retired nurse and Dick was an engineer and supervisor for DeLaval for 45 years.
They raised two children and are proud to have four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
When asked "what motivates your commitment of such a significant amount of time to St. Mark's,
Dick simply replied "it's just natural", and both Mildred and Dick find spiritual fulfillment here.
They both appreciate their friendships and the warm feelings they receive from their fellow
members of St. Mark.
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