Local family installs handrail in church to honour congregation.
The morning of Sunday, November 8th was one of joy for the Oakman family. Prior to the 11 A.M. service, Jim Eastwood installed an oak handrail in Valleyfield’s St. Mark’s Anglican Church. Eastwood, who is married to Gail Oakman, not only constructed the handrail, but also had the beautiful rail inscribed to honour the late Pauline Oakman (his mother-in-law). While honouring the Oakman family was one of the motivations behind the installation of the piece within the church, the Oakmans also wanted to support the aging congregation. The handrail is currently installed on the chancel steps.
Pauline’s husband, Jim Oakman, is still an active member at the church. At 97 years of age, he was thrilled to see his family honoured in such a way. Members of his family flew in from across Canada, with some coming from as far as New Brunswick to be present on Sunday morning.
