Mary Lou Goertzen

Mary Lou Goertzen doesn't lock her doors, even when she leaves home for a week at a time. As she once explained, "I figure if someone borrows something, they need it more than I do." She is similarly open with visitors; anyone who knocks is welcome. It could be a neighbor from up the road with an armful of kale or a friend from town who hasn't seen her in years. A troubled teen could come looking for help. Mary Lou meets each one with her matter-of-fact style, what she calls "being real." Her guiding principle in choosing what to say is to ask herself: Is it kind? Is it true? And, is it necessary?

Born in Kansas and raised in a Mennonite community, Mary Lou, together with her late husband, Ernie, adopted a Quaker lifestyle. Mary Lou says,"I did need a sense of community around my spirituality and silent worship really spoke to me. Plus, spiritual life and social action -- I can't have one without the other." Her sense of social responsibility is so keen that it became a factor in negotiating an important artist contract. Mary Lou was invited to become a featured artist for a new line of fine china. When she expressed concern about the conditions of the factory workers, the president of the company arranged a visit to the china factory overseas so that she'd feel more comfortable.

Just after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mary Lou was chosen by her local Friends Meeting in Berkeley, California to represent them at a peace march in Memphis on April 8, 1968. She also remembers the dedication and power of Coretta Scott King and Ralph Abernathy, who led the march that Dr. King had originally intended to lead: "We walked arm in arm with other marchers, eight across through the streets. We were silent. It was a highly spiritual experience for me. I was a young mother, one of the few white faces. It was an honor to be there." Mary Lou also remembers when national Guardsmen were stationed at the end of her street during the 1960's civil unrest in Berkeley: "I baked them cookies."

Mary Lou and Ernie had the unique opportunity to live at a mission in California that was adjacent to a military base. As Mary Lou tells it, Father Alan, the provincial who presided over five missions in five western states, was concerned with the strong military culture of this particular mission and wanted some pacifists to help change the tone. So he asked a few young families, including the Goertzens with the agreement that they could sell their art in the gift shop. The couple, along with their three children, accepted the invitation. Mary Lou explains that when word got out that a bunch of "hippies" were being sent to live on-site, the bishop directly in charge received complaints and called the group to an interview. Perhaps nervous about the meeting, he set up the meeting in his waiting room rather than his private office. The meeting was decidedly cool until while looking through their art portfolio, the bishop saw a portrait that Ernie had painted of his grandmother, which reminded the bishop of his own grandmother. When he realized that the couple was from Kansas as was he, the bishop softened. He changed his stance and began to relate to them as they are: basic Midwest folks. Mary Lou continues to connect with all sorts of people in exactly this way, by focusing less on ideology and more on remaining true to her simple roots.

Simplicity remains an abiding value, an expression of her basic spiritual values and something she hopes she has imparted to her three children. Rather than reflecting social status, Mary Lou's humble home, an old country schoolhouse in a rural Oregon community, is filled with reminders of people, places and experiences significant to her life. It also overflows with her art--vibrant quilts, watercolors, sketches, and yes, china patterns can be found everywhere.

Art and spirituality merge for Mary Lou so that her greatest artistic achievement, living life creatively, is also her most important spiritual example. Mary Lou is as open to life as her doors are open to visitors. She once said, "It's about being grateful and thankful. And to always be aware that things will change. About being serious and not serious, both. It's about embracing the mystery."

Honoring Acknowledgement: Mary Lou Goertzen is honored by her longtime friend.