Memorials   Taryn Kelly (March 13, 1980 to September 7, 1999) is best remembered, by her campers and fellow staff members, for being extremely passionate about reaching children and young people for Christ. Taryn spent two summers ministering as a camp counselor and saw many campers put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior while in her care. She grew up attending Family Camps with her parents and brothers and also attending youth camps. The Memorial Scholarship Fund at Camp Gilead was founded by her parents, Jim & Lynn Kelly, to reach out to more youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ.   Abby Cunningham (July 12, 1984 to January 31, 2001) is remembered by family and friends for her devotion to Jesus Christ.  She dreamed of all her family and friends, in fact her whole school, coming to Christ.  Abby enjoyed helping in the toddler class at her church and  had travelled with her youth group to Mexico on a mission trip.  She spent the summer of 2000 as a "Leader in Training" (LIT) here at Camp Gilead, where she developed incredible friendships with her co-workers and encouraged everyone with her enthusiasm and her brilliant smile. Many friends and family members have attended camp at her invitation.  Her deepest desire was to have them hear God's Word and accept Jesus.   Ruth Mehner (April 3, 1918 - October 3, 2001) began her involvement with Camp Gilead when Tabernacle Baptist Church first began developing the property in 1948. She and her family were among the workcrews who labored so diligently to build the facilities. Her children, grandchildren and now her great grandchildren attended camps and retreats here. After retirement, she and her husband, Bob, settled here at the camp and spent many years volunteering in the areas of maintenance and housekeeping. She was a faithful servant of God and a wonderful friend and mentor.   Travis Reierson (March 3, 1987 to  March 21, 2003) loved Camp Gilead!  The highlight of his summers was to see all his friends, both old and new, at camp.  Travis felt totally comfortable and engaged at camp, and more than anything else, he wanted others to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.  There is a bench at Camp Gilead, dedicated to Travis’ memory, with the words “proud member of the bench crew,” inscribed on it.  That was because he and his friends hung out there the year he broke his nose at camp.  He wouldn’t come home for anything…not even that!  His family and friends love and miss him and we all know that “we’ll see him when we get HOME!”     David Spengler (May 29, 1939 to September 2, 2006) grew up at Tabernacle Baptist Church, located on Capital Hill in Seattle. When Mrs. Faull donated the property on the Snoqualmie River to the church, the families of Tabernacle immediately began work on the facilities, making them “habitable” for campers. David was part of those first crews in 1948 and was assigned to the “Chicken Coop Brigade.” It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out exactly what his job was! He continued to serve on the camp construction crews throughout his youth and made many spiritual decisions as a camper at Gilead. He and his wife, Carol, both served as counselors during their college years and continued to be a part of the camp ministry during their marriage. In 1974 David and Carol joined First Baptist Church of Eastgate, in Bellevue, and brought that enthusiasm for Camp Gilead with them. David never forgot the part that Camp Gilead played in his life and would want other kids to have the same fond memories that he enjoyed from 1948 till he went to Heaven in 2006!   Angie Franklin (March 8, 1990 to March 20, 2007) first attended Camp Gilead as a Jr. High camper in 2002.  She loved being at camp, hanging out at Pop’s Inn, laughing, teasing and visiting with anyone who walked by.  She made some of her best friends there and everyone loved her funny personality and her ability to make people laugh with her.  Her favorite part of camp was the singing and worship times, and Angie dedicated her life to the Lord while she was at Camp Gilead.  Angie served on the High School staff during the summer of 2005.  She worked hard while on staff and was thrilled to see two of her campers come to know the Lord that summer.  Family was extremely important to Angie and she was very close to her Dad, Mom and two brothers.  She was a “little sister” to many of the older staff and a dear friend, who will be greatly missed, to everyone else.  Her favorite scripture verses were Proverbs 3:5-6.   Don Vogel (February 7, 1930 - September 15, 2007) was the father and grandfather to several happy campers here at Camp Gilead.  During the last several years of his life, he regularly inspected the American flag flying at the camp and replaced it whenever he felt it was time.  He was passionate about and involved with his church, his community and his country.   Karen Carlson (October 20, 1956 to December 11, 2007) believed strongly that Camp Gilead is a highly effective evangelistic outreach and that she should support it in every way possible.   She was excited about and supported any project going on at camp, if it would further the ministry that she so dearly loved.  Karen attended Family Camp for years with her husband, Jim, and later with her children, too.  Her kids, Daniel and Katie, have attended youth camps and helped in the kitchen and on summer staff.  Karen herself often volunteered in the kitchen, pop's inn, and especially the overseeing of our nurse's station.  Being a nurse, she took on the job of making sure that the healthcare at camp was readily available in the summer by inventorying and purchasing the needed supplies, talking to doctors about standing orders and backing up our nurses any way she could.  Karen also enjoyed attending Women's Retreat and Mother-Daughter Retreat and always donated gift baskets for give-aways at those events. Karen was an avid scrapbooker and quilter and helped start her church's annual ladies' retreat to camp to work on all of their unfinished craft projects.  Camp Gilead truly will miss this dear friend.  We are all better off for having known her.   Lance Verne Ward (October 25, 1948 - January 9, 2009)  helped numerous children during his lifetime and enjoyed having children around him. He was there to help anyone that needed it, even when he was not asked.  His wish was that in his memory children might attend Camp Gilead in the summer, even if they could not afford it. Lance worked in the timber industry and for the Okanogan County Public Works. Lance worked for the road crew for 20 years before retiring due to health issues. He was well respected by all of his co-workers. Lance considered all of his crew his “boys” and talked about them with high regard. Lance loved every aspect of his family. He loved raising his family along with spending time with them all. Lance and Shari enjoyed the outdoors and loved to hunt and fish. They both had taken up bow hunting together. Lance was a member of Okanogan First Baptist Church and was respected by the entire congregation. He believed in the Lord and was not afraid to spread the gospel. Lance was very active in the church and was a trustee.  In recent years, he enjoyed the annual trip to Camp Gilead for the Men's Retreat and fellowship with the men from his church.

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