After World War II came to an end, a large part of the Nelson family social life evolved around the extended family formed from relationships developed with many folks at South Reformed Church. The church was about as conveniently located to the Nelson’s 367-56th Street address as it could possibly be; not only was the church right around the corner at 55th Street and 4th Avenue, but the back of the church school building bordered the fenced alley behind the Nelson’s backyard.
Pastor Williams, the only pastor of South Reformed from the mid-forties until the mid-sixties, was always a comforting presence in any situation in or out of church surroundings.
Dick was the real influence in getting the Nelsons involved in the church circa 1946-47. It wasn’t long before Eileen Shaw founded the Choristers, which became a social venue for adults and young adults who had an interest in theatrical performance. The older children had the youth group called CE, Christian Endeavor. Its popularity peaked around the mid fifties, coincidental with the emergence of a very influential student minister from Union Theological Seminary, Hale Schroer.
Marilyn, Gene, and Howie were members of CE, where they developed many lasting friendships. Jack Peterson became Gene’s best friend for many years, and Gene influenced his girlfriend Anne Mackey to join the group. Anne and Gene were close friends of fellow CE members Rodney Ward and Cathy Loeb, who eventually married each other and named their first child Jeanne Anne after Gene and Anne. Rodney’s mother never realized the connection, even when she asked Cathy and Rodney, “So how’s Gene and Anne?”
Another CE romance blossomed between Ronnie Cramer and Marilyn, but when the relationship didn’t work out Ronnie joined the Air Force at about the same time as Dave Saunders. Dave, a determined country and western performer at heart, was close with Peggy Love and Helen “Button” Queen. Two smiling sisters from 58th Street were part of the group, Christine and Adina Yonan. Christine was very quiet, and Adina went on to Hope College in Michigan after high school. Helen Brooks and Connie Buelow, also from 58th Street, were members of CE. Carl Lundquist came from an orphanage to be part of the group and other church activities. The brothers McCall – Tom the older and Barry the younger – both had beautiful tenor voices. Barry was a student at the Manhattan School of Music and Art, the school that was used as a basis for the movie and TV series “Fame.” Judy Plumb, a talented pianist, later married a nuclear physicist, who claimed that the only thing a nuclear physicist is good for is to teach someone else how to be a nuclear physicist.
Another CE name that comes to mind is Wayne Moritzen. Wayne, a quiet, smiling intellect, was probably the tallest one in the group at the time. His ambition was to become a minister. Jack Peterson’s younger brother Bob was also active in CE.
The Nelson family grew close with many other families of South Reformed. Eddie Larsen and Sven Fagergren were childhood friends of Allen, and the three of them often sang together. One summer they were all hired as singing waiters at the Linden House, a resort restaurant in Greenwood Lake, NY. Allen and Eddie married two of the three Johnson sisters from Bay Ridge, Alice and Margie respectively. The third sister, Dorothy, married Charles “Chuck” Clark. Chuck was a tall, lanky, good-natured chap who took a lot of ribbing from Allen and Eddie. Sven married Ann Massey, and they eventually followed Allen and Alice to Richmondville, NY. The Johnson sisters had a younger brother Walter, a very talented artist.
After a stint in the Army Eddie Larsen joined the NYPD and eventually worked his way up to detective. You always had to be on guard with Eddie because you never knew when he was going to pull one of his verbal stunts. One day he dropped his wife Margie off during a busy hour at a busy street. At the time Margie was noticeably well along in her pregnancy. As Margie got out of the car Eddie leaned across the front seat and hollered to Margie, “Don’t blame that kid on me!” Then he drove off, leaving Margie standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk, once again the object of her husband’s prankishness.
Charlie Anderson, another close church friend of the Nelsons, was one of the deacons of the church. He was a NYFD chief at a Brooklyn station. He and his wife Evelyn had no children of their own. They were close friends of Fred and Veronica “Ronnie” Schneider, also a childless couple. Fred was a successful real estate owner. As a complete surprise to everyone, Fred and Evelyn took off on a whirlwind romance and moved away from the area. While consoling one another, Charlie and Ronnie hit it off, and eventually ended up with a charming marriage of their own. Charlie retired from the fire department and joined a real estate company. He and Ronnie remained active in the church.
The Sarsfield family was also a product of the NYFD. Ted was a high-ranking officer in the fire department. His wife Alice was a dedicated member of AA, and she had a rare condition that required her to be on a salt-free diet. In spite of her situation, Alice seemed a very happy person who always had a smile on her face.
Many of the CE youth group parents were active church members: Charlotte and John Peterson and Charlotte’s father Alfred Clifford; Charlotte and Bert Plumb; Mrs. Queen; Mrs. Love; Mrs. Yonan; Mrs. McCall; Mrs. Buelow.
Some of the more memorable Sunday school teachers were Mrs. Margaret Kyle and Elizabeth “Betty” Larsen. For a while Jim McCall (unrelated to Barry or Tom McCall) taught Sunday school as a lay preacher. While still in high school, Gene joined the Sunday school staff as secretary. For a few years Gene was at the church every night of the week for one activity or another.
While working in Manhattan Marilyn met Billie Lee of Philips Petroleum, a transfer from Philips’ Oklahoma offices. Marilyn introduced Billie and her husband Curtis to South Reformed. Curtis, a professional tenor, joined the choir. At a time when society viewed homosexuality as taboo, Curtis had the courage to announce his, even though it meant the end of his otherwise happy marriage to Billie. Billie recovered and eventually met and married a successful New York executive.
Following are additional highlights of some of the church family members.
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