Digging Ermal Owens' Grave

[skyrider]

This morning, I had the somber duty to dig a grave for our beloved cat snickers. In five days,

we are going to have him euthanized to bring a peaceful end to his long, endearing existence.

While digging, I was reminded that the last time I dug a grave was in 1981....for Ermal L. Owens.

It was in July 1981 when Mr. Owens passed away....and wierwille instructed way builders coordinator,

M0nty R@y H0bbs to oversee this hand-dug grave. At the Garden of Living Waters, surrounded by the

maple trees.....wierwille did not want heavy-duty machinery in there and wreak havoc on the manicured

grass and surrounding area. Thus, the order came down to have the grave dug by manual labor.

If I recall correctly, this was a Saturday evening.....and the way builder men, a department that had

upwards of 75-90 strong men [and a few women], were the bulk of the labor force. Perhaps, a few in the

Grounds Department helped as well. The digging started around 7pm.....and there was an outdoor function

commemorating Ermal's life of service on the blacktop near the wierwille home. A few people took to the

microphone to speak about Ermal, way productions played songs for about 90 minutes....while everyone

milled around conversing and hamburgers were being grilled near the upper room shed.

Anyways.....there I was, toward the end of the event and decided to walk over to the fountain area to see

the progress of the grave-digging. The men who had taken shifts digging were sweaty and exhausted. Looking

down into the grave, the edges were crisp and cornered.....and nearing eight-feet deep. Actually, it was

quite impressive....to see what had been accomplished in less than three hours.

But....my bystander status changed in an instant when Monty Ray looked over at me and say...."hey skyrider,

get down there and take your turn at digging." [Like Simon, a Cyrenian pulled from the crowd to carry the

cross for Jesus.....this task, too, was thrust upon me.] Of course, having been a way builder on my interim

year, I dutifully responded.....and they pulled the sweaty guy out, and lowered me down. With spade in hand,

I filled several buckets that were hoisted and hauled away....and I cornered the edges nice to perfection.

Twenty minutes or so and it was finished.....I was the last one to dig ermal owens' gravesite.

Probably, when our cat snickers is buried this coming Thursday.....I will think of Ermal, too.

But then.....with spade in hand, I will be filling the grave with excavated dirt.

.

Edited September 26, 2015 by skyrider

[waysider]

"But then.....with spade in hand, I will be filling the grave with excavated dirt."

I'm not real clear on this. Are you saying Ermal's grave was not filled with dirt from the excavation?

[skyrider]

"But then.....with spade in hand, I will be filling the grave with excavated dirt."

I'm not real clear on this. Are you saying Ermal's grave was not filled with dirt from the excavation?

"Probably, when our cat snickers is buried this coming Thursday.....I will think of Ermal, too.

But then.....with spade in hand, I will be filling the grave with excavated dirt."

But then.....this coming Thursday

with spade in hand......after our cat snickers is in grave

filling.........as opposed to digging/excavating

the grave.......cat grave

with excavated dirt.....that I dug out this morning

grave/dirt/spade.....will remind me, again, of digging Ermal's grave

.

Edited September 26, 2015 by skyrider

[skyrider]

Kind of like a "literal translation according to cat grave digging."

Edited September 26, 2015 by skyrider

[waysider]

OK, got it. This time you'll be filling instead of removing.

Little boy: "We got a new cat, Grandpa, and it's a boy."

Grandpa: "Oh, how can you tell?"

Little boy: "It's got whiskers."

[penworks]

Just curious about Ermal's part in VPW's agenda. He never said much. The first time I met VPW, Ermal and Harry W. were with him. They are in the motorcycle shed on the cold November day I arrived from ECU for a women's advance, 1971. That scene is part of an early chapter in my book. Yikes. Where is the publisher I need for my book? Hellllooo.

Don't worry Greasespotters, I will find one. And I do not plan on begging. Anyone with a sound mind and paying attention to the news every day realizes a topic like, Seventeen Years in a Fundamentalist Cult, just might, well...might be a hot topic OR something to help people get to sleep. Depends on your point of view.

Cheers,

Pen

[skyrider]

Just curious about Ermal's part in VPW's agenda.

Oh, yeah.....I, too, pondered this several times thru the years.

Imo....this tends to come down to three things:

1) Ermal had the skill sets and construction background for practical management

2) Ermal AND Dorothy were at that stage of life for maximum opportunity to twi [no kids]

3) Ermal was soft spoken, loyal, and malleable

According to Mrs. M's book, BATS.....[p.100] "Dr. Wierwille had met a couple by the names

of Ermal and Dorothy Owens a year earlier [1952] when they had invited him to be a guest

speaker at their church in Lynn Grove, Indiana, for a week of inspirational meetings. At

that time Ermal and Dorothy had a deep interest in learning more of God's Word and were

regulars at our meetings. After taking the first class, they were continuously faithful

in The Way Ministry."

SEE....they took vp's first class, were faithful and voila!!.....promoted to higher office.

Right place, right time sort-a-thing.....and besides, wierwille needed someone to play the

organ and accompany the pianist, Rhoda.

IMO.....Ermal falls into the same category as Ge0rge Jess and, possibly M@l George. Same

age bracket, same temperament and lockstep loyalty. Clearly, Mr. Owens was NOT going to

ever fill the position of twi's president....even though he was slotted as vice prez.

Much the same way as Mr. Jess....he never REALLY was the first corps director.

Wierwille was an opportunist.....and these men came across vpw's path at that time.

It's as simple as that.

.edit typos

Edited September 27, 2015 by skyrider

[waysider]

My opinion is that VPW needed to surround himself with people who were beyond suspicion, people like Owens, Jess and George. When you think of these men, you think of wholesomeness. Whether they were wholesome or not I don't know, only that such is the perception that has endured all these years. Wierwille wanted and needed to associate himself with that perception to distance himself from scrutiny.

Edited September 27, 2015 by waysider

[skyrider]

My opinion is that VPW needed to surround himself with people who were beyond suspicion, people like Owens, Jess and George. When you think of these men, you think of wholesomeness. Whether they were wholesome or not I don't know, only that such is the perception that has endured all these years. Wierwille wanted and needed to associate himself with that perception to distance himself from scrutiny.

Perhaps, one could look at these people......Owens, Jess, George, and even Doers@m as the inner-sanctum

of supporters (ie inner circle before the new breed, zealous, sex lock-box, inner circle of the early 70s).

Yea, these men [husbands and wives] were wholesome in an era 1953-1960 that was commonplace in church-going

communities in the midwest. And, wierwille was busy plagairizing...er, studying scripture to elevate

his stature, sermons and outreach.

Clearly, there was a stretch of anemic support and growth for those 16 years [1956-1972] as these couples

faithfully supported their minister, vpw, and his teachings. George Jess was a faithful congregant in Piqua,

Ohio who had applied to Moody Bible Institute during this time of taking wierwille's 1956 pfal class. Might

it be fair to say that these couples were searching, and transitioning, from the monotone church sermons to

something different just like the generation after them?

And, just maybe.....wierwille never let his mask slip in front of any of them. Years later, when wierwille

had a motor coach, more freedom, more seclusion, campuses far away, young women adulation, AND all the pieces

in place to summon corps women to his lair.....that Dr. Jekyll was, indeed, Mr. Hyde?

From all the eulogizing of these "spiritual pillars".....I seriously doubt that any of them ever realized

wierwille's deep-seated, lust-filled, and narcissistic pathologies that were interwoven in his agendas.

[waysider]

"And, just maybe.....wierwille never let his mask slip in front of any of them."

That's quite possible with Eddie and Donna, as well as Ray and Vera. Truly good people, all of them. But, they lived hours away and only saw what they were allowed to see. When rumors started flowing out of New Knoxville, they probably were fed the same propaganda as the rest of us. If they did know, they certainly never gave any indication to that effect.

[skyrider]

"That's quite possible with Eddie and Donna, as well as Ray and Vera. Truly good people, all of them."

I know, I know.....and the SAME could be said of lots of twi-people in the 1970s.

One of the most deceptive aspects about religious-MLM outfits.......is the intermediary relationship

that enablers play in the propagandized perception and promotion of the product. How many of these

"truly good people" spent the last 20-30 years of their lives giving their support to a charismatic

cult leader and organization that would turn belly up TWO YEARS AFTER HIS PASSING?

Even though women like Dr. EE H!ggins and R!nker are keynoted.....they quickly disappeared. Why?

What did they see, or not see, that convinced them to move on? What about the dozens and dozens

of folks who took those classes from 1960-1967? After they took pfal, did they say..."meh" and

slip back into their local church pew?

Seems like the "old guard" [ie Ermal, Dorothy, Mal, Jan, George, Bernita, Eddie, Donna, Ray, Vera, etc]

hung in there out of dedication, loyalty and support......just like a wave of NEW GUARD came along and

carried the torch for 15-20 years!! Years ago, I read an article about ex-clergymen and the consistent

length of involvement was 15 years.....by then, one sees behind the closed-door meetings, has

dealt with the back-stabbing politics of colleagues, and moves up the ranks or out.

Lots of good-hearted people move OUT.

The ones who stay are considered "pillars of the church." Of course, they are.