Margaret Elaine Hockley was a woman like every other woman; and yet she played a unique roles in the life of the Order, the church and the world.
Drawn to a life of service Elaine was one of the early molders of the Order: Ecumenical. She was particularly concerned with forging models for the care and training of the Order for missional effectivity. She pioneered in brining into being the Jet program for inner city youth, combining intellectual, social and motivation methods to release the innate creativity of each individual. Elaine helped initiate the cultural enrichment program with the Jet trips to Detroit and Windsor, Canada; to Mardi Gras in New Orleans; and to Expo’67 in Montreal, Canada.
Elaine spent several years in in Fifth City developing and initiating the stake care and guild engagement structures and working as the shadow dynamic with the Fifty City Board of Managers. Elaine was selected as one of the original Iron Men, and therefore participated in the first 5th City Black Beret ceremony. In celebrating the completed life of their daughter, Wendy Jo, Elaine and Len catalyzed the initial form of the funeral service and practices of the Order. They created the symbol of the Word and Deed, which is how the reredos of the Daily Offices of the Order throughout the world. Elaine contributed not only her fine voice, but her sensitivity for music to both the daily life of the Order and its celebrative events.
As a lifelong member and servant of the historical church, Elaine was committed to making church activities relevant to the moral issue of the 20th century. She and her family moved to the inner city, first in Detroit, Michigan, and then to Fifth City, Chicago, as a symbol of facing racism and economic imperialism of our time. She was a leader of the Central United Methodist Church in Detroit and one of the founders of the Detroit cadre of the Spirit Movement. She did recruiting and teaching the courses which led to the initiation of the Local Church Experiment to reengage the church in mission to the world.
Although most of her life was spent in the United States, Elaine was a global woman. She symbolized her decision to live for the globe by taking an assignment to Glasgow, Scotland. While there she created a community center in Yoker, a former shipbuilding community with 70% unemployment, and engaged in community continuing education to bring a sign of unity out of the antagonism of an inner city slum community.
In the last year of her life, Elaine was instrumental in the successful achievement of Oklahoma 100, in which 100 Town Meetings were held on one day in the State. She cared deeply for all people, and by her vivacious spirit gave others courage and hope to live a victorious life. She designed for all women the style of the free and responsible one, the professional woman who is the religious, and ordered her life, not for her own fulfillment, but for the sake of the humanness of all.
THE OBITUARY
We are gathered here to mark the sojourn through life of Margaret Elaine Hockley. Elaine was sent by God to live in this world and now has been removed by God from her station. She was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the only child of Malcolm and Leone Self Dickie.
Elaine was a wife and mother. She was bound in covenant for nineteen years of marriage to Leonard and was a mother to Mark, Matthew, and to Wendy Jo and Stephanie, who are deceased.
Elaine was a citizen of the globe and of Chicago. She attended elementary school in Greenfield Village, Michigan, and high school in Owosso, Michigan. She attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, where she obtained her undergraduate degrees in English and Education.
Elaine was a junior high school teacher and taught at Derby Junior High School in Birmingham, Michigan from 1958 to 1969. She was a Cokmmunity Education Officer for the corporation of Glasgow in Scotland from 1974 to 1975. In 1966 Elaine became an intern at the Ecumenical Institute in Chicago.
Elaine died as she lived, looking toward the future. Her life and death are a sign calling all to engage in building the new earth. She lived her life in radical engagement, and now in awesome tranquility if living her death. Her life is complete and will remain forever a part of the eternal mystery that creates and shapes the world.
PRESENTATION OF THE SYMBOLS
THE WEDDING BAND: We place the wedding band, which symbolizes Elaine’s covenant with her family. She believed that in marriage a self was complete only as it was covenanted in care for the whole world. She fulfilled her covenant by expending her life in the style of the new woman, calling forth each member of our family to create their own authentic style.
THE RING OF RELIGIOUS: We place here the ring of the religious, which symbolizes Elaine’s covenant with the Order. Elaine believed that no history was forged without the recreation of primal community. which releases, engages and disciplines the unique gifts of its members that they may live only before the mystery in their care for the world.Elaine fulfilled her covenant by creating new forms of engagement. for all age groups.
THE BLUE DRESS: We place here the blue dress which symbolizes Elaine’s covenant with the movement. She believed there was a movement, an ‘invisible college’ of those who care, which was becoming visible. She fulfilled her covenant by being a sign of engagement in service to the world on two continents in spite of personal pain and suffering.
THE CHRISTIAN CROSS: We place here the Christian cross, which symbolizes Elaine’s covenant with the historical church. She believed the church is the vehicle of the world of life for all to live in Faith, Hope and Love. She fulfilled her covenant in teaching by word and deed that life is good, each person is significant, the past can be embraced, and the future is open possibility.
