Oralyn Denison Tribute by Janet Gustafson

Presentation delivered by CWR Executive Board Member Janet Gustafson
at the opening session of the 1984 Retreat

It is, indeed, a special privilege for me to be here this evening. This is the largest group we have had at this retreat, and I understand that over half of you are attending for the first time. What a thrill it is to see you here.  It's Friday, your families are all having a wonderful time without you----so be prepared to enjoy a wonderful weekend here with us.  Many of us have come here with mixed feelings: joy and gratitude to God for all of you and for the good time we are going to have, and sorrow, due to the tragic loss of Oralyn Denison, the founder and chairperson of the California Women's Retreat.  She and her husband, Joe, were killed in a private plane crash just three weeks ago.  Because of these mixed feelings, and all the events the last three weeks have brought, I would like to talk about Oralyn and also tell you how this retreat got started.
 
Several years ago, while she and Joe were living in Michigan, Oralyn attended a women's retreat in Kalamazoo.  Within a space of three years, two other women who had attended the same retreat, and the Denisons, moved to Phoenix.  None of them knew each other at the time, but when Oralyn arrived in Phoenix, the other two women were busily planning an Arizona Women's Retreat.  It was patterned after the one in Michigan—an interdenominational Christian retreat for women.  Somehow these women learned about Oralyn and asked her to be apart of the retreat.  She agreed and was involved in it for seven years.  When she left Phoenix, her two friends said that she would just have to start a retreat in California.  When Oralyn and Joe moved to Walnut Creek, thoughts of a retreat in this area haunted her so much that she couldn't sleep.  The thoughts terrified her.  Being a woman of prayer, she prayed, or, in her words, argued with the lord for one entire year--- before he won: in 1981, the first California Women's Retreat was held at the Sheraton Hotel here in Concord with about 200 women in attendance.
 
Oralyn was a highly motivated, organized woman who opened her life to God’s leading.  She had an insightfully clear idea of the purpose and goal of this retreat.   She knew what she wanted to accomplish and committed herself to that goal.   And yet, Oralyn, whose clear mind and singleness of purpose was the driving force behind this retreat, came unglued when it was time to balance the checkbook.  She always added the deposits, but never bothered to subtract the withdrawals.  She had the ability to draw exciting speakers from all over the U.S.   This was an ongoing process.  Before one retreat was over, she was already working on the next year.  Our speakers have been of consistently high quality, covering topics of interest and relevance for today's women.  Being an extremely energetic and hardworking person, Oralyn was consumed by the California Women's Retreat.  She literally lived, breathed, ate and and slept the retreat.  She talked to everyone about it; in the bank, the supermarket, restaurants and at social gatherings, never passing up an opportunity to tell someone how it got started and to extend an invitation to come.  Her life was a testimony to her love for God and her eagerness for others to know him.
 
Oralyn had an undaunted zest for life and lived her life to its fullest.  Even though she seemed to be in a perpetual hurry, she always had time to match her hair ribbons to her outfits.  Then there was the time when her kitchen was on fire and she rushed to apply lipstick before the firemen arrived.  Oralyn is perhaps best remembered for her delightful sense of humor.  Events which would have been disastrous for some of us, were turned into hilarious accounts when she told them.  Committee meetings, even though they were a lot of hard work, were filled with laughter over Oralyn's antics.
 
She also had a dominant personality. I’ll never forget the day, last spring, when I told her my husband had been transferred to Washington, D.C. and that I would be moving in June.  Her response was, “No- you can't go.  I just won't allow it!" She was so emphatic, I wondered if I really would stay in California.
 
Her vitality and enthusiasm seemed never-ending.   She was up early in the morning, mind racing.  One morning in December, Oralyn telephoned me.  We talked for several minutes before I realized that it was only 8:15 in Washington, which meant she was calling me from her home at 5:00 a.m. and she was already in high gear.  She spoke in superlatives, always positive; she held a firm belief that something good came out of every situation.  Picture if you can, this proper, Christian woman, of great stature in her community, with a life sized poster of Tom Selleck on her laundry room wall. 
 
Above all else, Oralyn was warm and tender, devoted to her family and friends, but most of all to her lord.  She was determined to make this retreat a weekend to remember for the women who attend.  She spent long hours working with hotel personnel to ensure that we would have elegant accommodations, lovely surroundings, and first class service, all for an unbelievably low cost. This year has been a tremendous challenge for the retreat committee.  This room is filled to capacity--the culmination of the efforts of many women, and the evidence of God’s enabling power,--- but most of all, it is a living tribute to one woman.  There is a great void here this weekend for those of us who knew Oralyn.   She has surely touched and enriched our lives --- and for those of you who are here for the first time, her work and legacy will also touch and enrich your lives.
 
Corrie Ten Boom once wrote, “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation." It is our hope that you will be inspired, restored, and renewed, and that when you leave here you will say, "This has been one of the best weekends I have ever had in my life."  With these thoughts in mind, I should like to dedicate the 1984 California Women's Retreat to Oralyn Denison.