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EDNA CAROLENA FORD
1900—1994
DEPLORE LOSS EDNA CAROLENA FORD WHOSE LONG RECORD SERVICE AS PIONEER MEXICO AND MEMBER NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY THAT COUNTRY ADDS LUSTRE ANNALS FAITH WESTERN HEMISPHERE. SPIRIT HUMILITY, CONSTANCY TEACHING ACTIV[TY THIS FAITHFUL, LUMINOUS HANDMAIDEN BAHA’U’LLAI—I SET WORTHY EXAMPLE SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS. ARDENTLY PRAYING HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER VALIANT SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.107
Universal House of Justice September 27, 1994
The Universal House of Justice, in a separate
the banner Of the mom great gUid’ message to the National Spiritual Assembly of the ance in those regions. Furthermore, Bahá’ís of Mexico, also advised “that memorial imprisonment, gxile, and severe gatherings of a devotional character be held
hardship did not deviate him from throughout your national community in her
honour."
[Page 169]
IN MEMORIAM 1992—1997
dna Carolena Ford was born in
Washington State, in the town of Republic, on March 29, 1900, and in her ninety—fourth year, on September 12, 1994, she left us for the Abhá Kingdom.
At the age of nineteen she went to work for the Bell Telephone Company in Spokane, Washington. In 1932 she moved to Glendale, California, and continued working for the phone company for the next twenty—five years.
In 1952, while enduring severe tests and difficulties, a friend to whom she had turned for help invited her to a fireside and lent her books on the Bahá’í Faith. This gave her great comfort, and in October of that year she made her declaration of faith.
In 1957, after serving on several committees and being on the Glendale Assembly for six years, Edna decided to pioneer. This meant that she would be taking an early retirement after having worked thirty—eight years at the telephone company, making it necessary for her to pioneer to a country where she could live on her reduced pension. After many prayers she decided the place to go was Mexico. She sold all other possessions, got on a bus for Mexico City, went to the National Spiritual Assembly, and said, “Here I am. Where do you want me to go?” All of this without knowing a single word of Spanish.
Her first post was the city of Puebla, where she stayed for five years. She had very little success in teaching because of the pressures exerted by the other religions. Shortly after leaving Puebla in 1962 she arrived in Mérida, which became her “home base” until 1989. In that year ill health overtook her, and she returned to the United States to live with Joseph and Sara Wilmar in Glendora, California.
During her thirty-two years in Mexico she taught in many cities, towns, and small
villages including Campeche, Chiapas, San
Edna Caroleml Ford
Cristobal de las Casas, Isla Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Cuatla, Tabasco, and Tamaulipas, to name just a few. She also visited Belize, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. She became a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Mexico in 1963, and as a member of that institution, she participated in the first four elections of the Universal House ofjustice. For many years she was given the official title of “Travel Teacher” by the National Assembly and was the only person who set up a scheduled tour and regularly visited all the states in Mexico.
Many people did not know that Edna was a timid, frugal, and cautious Victorian lady who played the piano, loved singing and classical music, and delighted in beautiful things. Who would have suspected that such a delicate woman could have accomplished so much. But armed with the love of the Word of God and secure in the power of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, she marched forward and conquered the dragons of ignorance. By her constancy of
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effort, in spite ofvery limited funds, which caused her to deny herself all but the most basic necessities, and by focusing every thought she could muster on the needs of the community, she guided and led the way. She sought the most inexpensive way to travel, often taking night buses so there would be no hotel bills. She seldom bought new clothing but spent hours patching the used items she had purchased, until it seemed that only patches were holding together the patches.
When returning to America for her annual month’s “vacation,” she would spend her limited resources on vitamins, shoes, Clothing, and medicines for her extended “family” in Mexico, keeping little for herself. Somehow she managed to keep looking, as any proper Victorian lady should, neat and elegant. Though she never learned how to drive, Edna bought two jeeps for the teaching work in remote areas, and through her deputization a Bahá’í was given the bounty ofgoing on pilgrimage. She was ever Cheerful and constant in encouraging others to be their best. She listened to others with great sympathy, love, and patience until they emptied their cups of sorrows, and then she filled them with the love of Bahá’u’lláh.
Edna often remembered with great joy her trip to the Great Centenary Jubilee in London in 1963, but she told several friends that the most momentous occasion in her life was the International Teaching Conference in Mérida in February of 1977, one ofeight such conferences held around the world. The National Spiritual Assembly of Mexico had worked for two years in preparing for this event that was attended by more than two thousand Bahá’ís from forty—four countries. After the Hand of the Cause Dr. Rahmatu’lle'th Muhájir had introduced the many dignitaries who had worked long and hard for the Faith, he
THE BAHA’I’ WORLD
suddenly asked Edna to come forward. Poor Edna! Completely unsure ofwhat was taking place, she dutifully went up onto the stage, and Dr. Muhájir proceeded to praise her work in Mexico and called her “The Angel onucatan.” He also reminded the audience that ifEdna had not come to the Yucatan Peninsula and had not worked so diligently for the Cause, there would never have been this conference in Mérida.
In many parts of Mexico, especially in the Yucatan, there are many girls and young women named Edna, a name not common in the culture. What a beautiful legacy for a special handmaiden of Baha’u’llah.
Sam M \Vz’lmar
