Part Four of a Series: Chapel Memories
By Katy Vail Sturgis
Katy Vail Sturgis, Saint Charles, Illinois, is a niece of Winifred C. Boynton and the daughter of Malcolm and Peggy Vail, brother and sister-in-law of Winifred's first husband, Carleton Vail.
As a 12-year-old, I was privileged to tag along with my mother as things developed at Bjšrklunden. I remember Aunt Winifred designing and painting the bonaders, designing and painting the window frames, seeing to the installation of the magnificent andirons that Mr. Zahn had made, doing some of the planting and making plans for the gardens, tennis courts, garage (later turned into a workshop), studio, and kitchen garden. She could do anything she turned her mind to -- she sang and played the piano beautifully until she became deaf, then took up, among other things, the Chapel.
Here are some of the special things I remember:
Aunt Winifred and my cousin Carl were so excited when they returned from Europe with plans for the Chapel. She worked feverishly on its designs, then she and Uncle [Donald Boynton] went to school to learn about carving. I remember going to their house in Highland Park to see the first pew ends.
How intensely she studied the Bible for just the right concepts for the wall paintings (ruling out anything that had to do with death), the beautiful Peace Cross, the font, and the lectern.
Because she was deaf, she could turn off her hearing aid so that, in spite of many house guests, visitors, etc., she could concentrate on her painting. I can still picture her on the studio stepladder, humming and painting, oblivious of anything else.
She telephoned my mother upon discovering that the ceiling paint material was wrong and would have to be done over. Fortunately, this was not true of all the walls. It took a year and many trips to Boston to find the right glass for the windows; as I recall, the glass in the first ones was wrong. Her search for the perfect musical instrument also took a long time, and finding lighting that would be appropriate took yet another lengthy search.
The great pleasure she and Uncle Don took in sharing their joy with others was always evident. She always seemed so surprised when people would compliment her and thrilled when they appreciated the true significance of why she had done all this. The Chapel was the perfect expression of her life, talent, and faith.
Follow the links to the left to continue the history of Björklunden vid Sjön.
