Suffolk Living November/December 2022

Santa Claus

And a meeting of Friends

It ’s ver y likely you’ve seen L. Ellen Drames, REALTOR® zipping around town in her trademark “cow-spot ted” Hummer Her signs and ads ask that one impor tant question "HOLY COW! Are You RE ADY TO MOOOVE??? ” For over 36 years, Ellen has been put ting her energy and expertise to work for the people of Hampton home She is consistently one of the Top Sales & Listings Agents for Rose & Womble Realt y, which is the #1 Real Estate company in Hampton Roads Ellen has lived here all her life and uses

area to make her clients’ buying or selling experience as seamless as possible She combines power ful marketing strategies, round the clock ser vice, and boundless energy to provide uncompromising ser vice. She has innumerable testimoni als from past clients at testing to her great work on their behalf and Ellen has been recognized by the Hampton Roads RE ALTORS® Association with their Circle of Excellence Diamond Level Award – a tribute to her ex traordinar y level of ser vice and integrit y. L. ELLEN DRAMES LTD. REALTOR® ROSE AND WOMBLE REALTY (757) 335-3400 ledholycow@gmail com ellendrames.com

Suffolk

Harbour View

Peace – let it begin with me

“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me; let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.

With God as our father, brothers all are we. let me walk with my brother, in perfect harmony.”

A simple song, “Let there be peace on earth,” written by Jill Jackson back in 1955 softly and reverently calls on each of us to do our part to make the world a better place. Within these pages you will find so many in our community who are doing just that.

On the cover of this month’s edition is Dean Nowotny, also known as Santa Claus to children around the world. Nowotny understands and lives the words of “let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.” This Santa with the help of many elves (you can be one too) is helping to support The Iris House Children’s Hospice in Cape Town, South Africa. Turn to Page 16 for more of this story and how you can help children in need.

This holiday season let each of us take it upon ourselves to make a difference, lets follow the words of a simple song and let “peace begin with me.”

Of course, there are more stories within these pages and we hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. As always, we are deeply appreciative of our many advertisers and readers, whose support makes our magazine possible.

Betty Ramsey,

Cover photo by Jen Jaqua

through the lens: Linda Bunch

Fall can be such a beautiful time of year. The colors change as nature gets ready for winter. The late vegetables are colorful and the last blooms are treasures. If you’d like to have your work considered, send an email and a selection of at least five of your original photos to news@suffolklivingmag.com.

Fall vegetables bursting with color.

A day on the river.

Sunset on the Nansemond.

Not to be outdone by the Naked Lady lily, fall roses with delicate pink blooms also perfume the air with their intoxicating scent.

Lycoris Radiata (Red Spider Lilies), more commonly known as a Naked Lady lily shows off her bright red color.

what to do

OCTOBER 22 TO DECEMBER 2

The Suffolk Art League will present 2022 Annual Juried Exhibition, on display from October 22 to December 2. This juried exhibition is open to artists working in any medium. Visit the SAL website at SuffolkArtLeague.com or call 757-9250448 for more information.

NOVEMBER 4

Enjoy a Tiny Library Concert with The BAND Vontrelle at 7 p.m. at the Morgan Memorial Library, 443 W. Washington St. Enjoy an intimate concert experience with your local library as the lovely backdrop. You will be treated to the rhythmic sounds of The BAND Vontrelle, locally known for their live performances of R&B, jazz, and soul.

NOVEMBER 5

The Black Panther Mini FanCon takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Morgan Memorial Library. 443 W. Washington St. Celebrate the upcoming release of the new “Black Panther” movie. Enjoy cosplay contests, trivia, raffles, crafts and more!

DECEMBER 3

The Annual Artisan Gift Fair at the Pavilion will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come meet Santa and get a head start on Christmas shopping with numerous vendors with a range of products to sell for that perfect Christmas gift.

NOVEMBER 5-12

From Suffolk’s best-kept culinary secrets to national award-winning restaurants, Suffolk Restaurant Week promises a savory blend of the city’s signature flavors. During this culinary encore, participating eateries offer chef-created delicacies and simple three-course, price-fixed menus at the deluxe, premier or ultimate levels for lunch and/or dinner; some restaurants are also offering a Family Meal To-Go option. No coupons, vouchers or tickets are needed — simply order from the Suffolk Restaurant Week menu. It’s the perfect time to sample new restaurants or delight in old favorites!

NOVEMBER 6

A Kayak Excursion of Lone Star Lakes takes place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. departing from the Suffolk Visitor’s Center, 524 N. Main St. Located in the Chuckatuck section of Northern Suffolk, explore one of the many freshwater lakes that make up this beautiful park. Transportation is not available for this tour; please meet at the Chuckatuck Public Library. Guided

kayak excursions are facilitated by a water adventures outfitter with years of experience. All equipment is included with the registration fee. Sunscreen, insect repellent, and comfortable clothing are recommended. You are encouraged to bring a snack and bottled water.

NOVEMBER 8

The Suffolk Business Women’s Christmas Fair will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront. Help support local businesses providing craft items, apparel, jewelry, beauty products, home décor, and all kinds of wonderful Christmas gifts!

NOVEMBER 12

Headlines and Footnotes: A Downtown Suffolk Walking Tour takes place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. starting at the Nansemond Brewing Station, 212 E. Washington St. Downtown Suffolk contains a multitude of antique buildings, new businesses, old stories and fresh food! This tour explores the streets of downtown Suffolk’s historic district, complete with revived centuryold mansions, repurposed schools and

what to do

warehouses, forgotten architectural gems and a glimpse into future developments.

NOVEMBER 14

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Visits Suffolk

Will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Suffolk Visitor’s Center. Each year, a different national forest provides a tree to light up the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol building for the holiday season. Festivities during the Tree’s visit to Suffolk will include seasonal kid’s crafts by Suffolk Art League, carols by the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts’ Chorus, and Holiday Story Time by the Suffolk Public Library.

NOVEMBER 17

Sip & Spell: Adult Spelling Bee –“Indigenous Hampton Roads” takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Nansemond Brewing Station, 212 E. Washington St. Join the Suffolk Public Library and Nansemond Brewing Station for a fun-filled adult spelling bee! There will be something for everyone to enjoy, from learning new

words to enjoying some spelling flubs. Participate on your own or bring your friends and spell as a team.

NOVEMBER 18

The Suffolk Grand Illumination takes place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Market Park in Downtown Suffolk, 326 N. Main St. The 2022 Holiday Season officially begins in Suffolk with a hometown kickoff. Watch the 32-foot tree light up when the switch is flipped to illuminate Suffolk for the holiday season. Be there as Santa arrives in style, enjoy seasonal music, take a tour of the Seaboard Station Railroad Museum and enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride. Youngsters will be able to participate in various holiday-themed craft activities in heated tents. Be sure to bring along your camera to capture your children’s smiling faces as they whisper their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus.

NOVEMBER 19

VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the

21st Century will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ay the Suffolk VIsitor Center Pavilion. VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st century is coming to Suffolk Farmers Market with a new exhibition, “Revealing and Obscuring Identity: Portraits from the Permanent Collection.” This exciting exhibition of paintings, photographs, and prints explores portraiture through a variety of periods, cultures, and styles.

NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 30

The Festival of Lights 2022 runs nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Sleepy Hole Park, 4616 Sleepy Hole Rd. Welcome in the holidays with the third annual Suffolk Festival of Lights at Sleepy Hole Park! This free drive-through holiday light display runs for 1.2 miles and has more than 35,000 bulbs—sure to put you in the festive spirit! Please note that it will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The Somerton Friends Meeting

Life with S.P.I.C.E. for 350 Years

Story by Phyllis Speidell Photos by John H. Sheally II

Asignificant but little-known historic site sits quietly in Somerton, a rural com munity about 15 miles west of downtown Suffolk and a mere 1.5 miles from the North Carolina line.

A simple white sided building, surrounded by trees and adjacent to a small cemetery, is home to the Somerton Friends Meeting founded in 1672. That was only 65 years after the first English settlers reached Jamestown and more that a century before the U. S. de clared its independence from Great Britain.

The Society of Friends Meeting House on Quaker Drive dates to 1869 and welcomes 42 closeknit members – from children to seniors

– each Sunday. The meeting (congregation) celebrated its 350th anniversary in October 2022 as the oldest continuous Quaker congre gation in Virginia.

George Fox, one of the original founders of the Religious Society of Friends in England, founded the Somerton Meeting. During a mission trip to the Society of Friends in North Carolina, Fox stopped in Somerton. In a field near the current Friends Meeting House, he encouraged he encouraged Quakers in Nan semond County to organize into a meeting there. The Somerton Meeting first met under the leadership of Nathan Newby, a Quaker minister and blacksmith who lived on the

edge of the Dismal Swamp.

Vintage homes and swaths of farmland reflect Somerton’s 17th century rural roots as a stop-over on the main road from colonial Suf folk to North Carolina. Sir Thomas Jernigan, a colonist from Somerleyton in Suffolk County, England, developed a 1600s land grant into a 250-acre plantation that spawned the village of Sommer towne, later known as Somerton. Part of Nansemond County until the 1994 Suffolk annexation, Somerton is listed on state and national historic registers.

The colonial village’s Washington Smith Ordinary sheltered travelers and reportedly hosted the  Marquis de Lafayette during his

Pastor Richard Wilcox pointed out that five words capture the basic tenets of the Society of Friends.

Simplicity – focus attention of the essential and eternal, setting aside what distracts from God.

Peace – seek reconciliation and non-violent answers to problems within families, communities and nations.

Integrity – live your faith daily with your speech and actions matching your internal convictions.

Community – provide an environment that supports, encourages and nurtures people to become the people God is calling them to be.

Equality – Value the ministry and fellowship of each person regardless of age, gender, race or sexual orientation.

In Tribute ...

In Honor of The Yes Dad, Harry Cross

Joseph M. Cross

In Memory of Sandra Krise

Angus Hines, Jr.

In Memory of Bob Marr Lisa and Harry Cross

In Memory of Rev. Myrtle Frances Hatcher

Angus Hines, Jr.

In Memory of Mary E. Blair

Sandra Reynolds

In Memory of Alice H. O’Connor Heather and Scott Carr

In Memory of Randolph Raines, Sr. Kim and Randy Raines

Mabel Raines

In Memory of Dwayne Earl Casper Heather and Scott Carr

In Memory of George Barnett

Angus Hines, Jr.

In Memory of Yancey Birdsong Heather and Scott Carr

Main Street United Methodist Church Obici Healthcare Foundation

Juanita and Charles Pond, III

In Honor of Whitney & Ellen Saunders Robert Saunders

David & Katherine Rawls

In Honor of Kim Raines

Samuel Goldenberg David & Katherine Rawls Suffolk Foundation Board of Directors Harry Cross David Host S. Chris Jones Debbie and David Russell

In Honor of Les & Wanda Hall

Paul Venable

In Honor of George Birdsong Obici Healthcare Foundation

In Memory of Mary B. Sherard

William Hill

In Memory of James Turner, Jr.

Angus Hines, Jr.

Elizabeth Turner

In Memory of Wayland T. Pond, III

Angus I. Hines, Jr. Family

In Memory of Jane Spivey

Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of Jerry Saunders

Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of P. B. Piland

Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of Wilbur Wright Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of Anthony Mathews

Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of David and Jeffrey Halley

Carmen and Michael Halley

In Memory of Ruth Phelps

Lynn and Marshall Bradley

Stephen and Christine Cole Glenn and Sarah Rawlings Timothy and Judith Spear A. Wayne Vargo Eliza and James Rainey

In Memory of Albert E. (“Buddy”) Krise, III Angus Hines, Jr.

In Memory of Elsie Copeland Chuckatuck Class of 1961

In Memory of Elwood Matthews Chuckatuck High School Class of 1961

In Memory of Bobbie Chapman Cindy and Phil Ferguson

In Honor of Frank Bray Susan and James Garrett

In Honor of Charles Birdsong Pee Dee Peanut LLC

In Honor of Ellen Harrison Saunders & Lisa Thompson Cross Katherine Rawls

In Memory of Lorraine Skeeter Alice T. Cross

In Memory of Bobby Spivey Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of Aleck Winslow Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of John C. Harrell

Judge and Mrs. James C. Godwin

In Memory of Sue Birdsong

Sarah Walden

Sara Ann and Bill Johnson

Angelica Light

In Memory of William Cartledge Margaret Reeder-Thornton

In Memory of Arthur Woolford Raine Robert E. Gillette

In Memory of Susan Redmond Kilby

Jackie Overton

In Honor of William (Billy) L. Whitley Lynn K. Rose

In Memory of Beverly R. Whitley Lynn K. Rose

In Memory of Jack C. Knight Robert E. Gillette

In Honor of Jack C. Knight Art Latimer

In Honor of Barbara Parker Art Latimer

In Honor of Deceased Classmates Chuckatuck Class of 1958

In Memory of Bobby, Jerry, & Jimmy Draper

Thomasine Draper

In Honor of Harry & Lisa Cross David & Katherine Rawls

In Memory of Jeff Gardy Scott, Bradshaw and Rawls, P.C.

In Memory of R. Curtis Saunders, Jr. Eric Anderson Lynn and Joe Barlow Maxine Barnett

BB&T Whiteville Office

Patricia Bennett Sue and George Birdsong Sandra and Mac Birdsong Nancy and Robert Brewbaker Elizabeth Brooks Heather and Scott Carr Gloria and William Chorey Reginald Corinaldi Jean Cross

Lisa and Harry Cross Anna Maria D’Antonio Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dankmyer William Darden Hunter and Bill Duggan Duke Automotive E. V. Williams, Inc.

Environmental Controls of Virginia Mary Ann and Jack Eure J. Jerome Felton Frank Edward Sheffer & Co. Mr. and Mrs. Manfred Freeman, Jr. Sarah and Nathan Gardner Cecilia Gerloff

E. Brooks Godwin and David Olli Ellen and James Godwin Wanda and Les Hall Mr. and Mrs. John Harlow Pearl and Robert Harrell Mollie Hassell

Robert Hayes and family HBA Architecture & Interior Design, Inc. Donna and Charlie Henderson Pam and Billy Hill Angus Hines, Jr.

Esther Jett Holland

Mr. and Mrs. John Holland

Martha James

Asa Johnson

William and Margaret Godwin Jonas Betsy and Tom Jones Mr. and Mrs. C. Frank Jordan Emeline and H. L. Keith

Betty Kyle

The Lane Construction Corp.

Anne and George Lankford

W. Ashton Lewis

Marvin V. Templeton & Sons, Inc.

Bessie and Christina Mathias

Mr. and Mrs. John McLemore Mardane McLemore

Margaret Moring

Nansemond Pre-Cast Concrete

Joan Nelms

Ann and Jack Nurney

Alice O’Connor

Jeanette Ojeda and Martin N. Speroni J. N. Owens

Lynnete Holmes Park

Mary Park

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Peabody, Jr. Phyllis Pruden

Mr. and Mrs. James Rainey

Reasor Enterprises Mrs. Woodrow Reasor

Riddick Babineau, PC

Saunders & Ojeda, P.C.

Anne Saunders

Emily Saunders

Rob and Mary Ann Saunders John Sebrell

Polly and Henry Simpson

Mr. and Mrs. William Spain, Jr. Virginia Sullivan

Sweetbriar Development Corp.

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Taylor, Jr.

Terry Peterson Residential Companies, L.L.C.

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Tripolsky

Joyce Trump

VA Transportation Construction Alliance

Dean Vincent

Alvis and Burwell Winslow

Jane Womack

Mr. and Mrs. Basil Yost, III

Arlene and David Zeiler

In Memory of Audrey Billups Butler

Tracy P. Carr

William L. Chorey

Mary Lawrence Harrell Elizabeth W. Jones

MLB of Glenview Public Charity

Suffolk Sheet Metal, Inc.

Audrey and Robert Tippett

Mrs. Margaret J. Smith

Mary and Joe White

Anne R. White

Parker’s Produce

Rita and David Salmon

Carolyn, Don and Turner Hodgins

Mary and Sam Sheard

Pam and Bruce Tinker

Vincent Wood

Pearl Harrell

Cynthia and Frank White, Jr.

Scott Bradshaw & Rawls, P.C.

Ann and Jack Nurney, Jr.

Daryl, Kim, Tyler and Cody Billups

Robert R. Chapman, III

Duke Automotive

Thera O. Palmer, IV

Arlene and T.O. Palmer, III

Jackie and Eddie White

Charles Edward White, III

Linda and Chad White

Julianne Farricker

Lindsey White

Larry J. Butler

Ann and Jeff Davies

Michael Carr

Danine Hopkins Brooke Abrams

Lynn and Win Dale

Sara Ann and Bill Johnson

In Memory of Anna Leigh Whitley

Vernon and Beverly Gayle

William and Pat Kessinger

Trudy Norfleet

Michael and Kirsten McGinn

Joseph and Lynn Barlow

Charlotte Duke and Family

Lisa Carter

Billy and Pam Hill

Mr. and Mrs. G. Perez

Newport News Shipbuilding O68 Metrology

John and Susan Shatto

Ronald and Barbara Schneider

Otto and Betsy Wegman

Donna Pitt

Charles and Lynn Rose

Newport News Shipbuilding O68 Planning

Team

Janet Domazos

David and Amy Stoup

Robert S. Jones

Bert and Anne Henderson

Iola Saunders

William and Diane Saunders

S. Chris and Karen Jones

The Haddad Foundation

In Memory of Martha Saunders

Anonymous

Nita and Everett Bagnell

Lynn and Joe Barlow

Maxine Barnett

Beazley Foundation, Inc.

Patricia Bennett

Birdsong Peanuts

Sue and George Birdsong

James Blair

Elizabeth Brooks

Martha and Linwood Callis

Heather and Scott Carr

Sue Chandler

Gloria and William Chorey

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clement

Reginald Corinaldi, III

Mary Hart and Austin Darden

Duke Automotive

Jacqueline Edwards

Mary Ann and Jack Eure

Sarah and Nathan Gardner Cecilia Gerloff

Robert Gillette

Katherine Godwin

Marion Grigg and Diane Grieder

Becky and James Habel Wanda and Les Hall

Hampton Roads Bankshares

Pearl and Robert Harrell

Sandy and Chet Hart

Pam and Billy Hill

Mr. and Mrs. John Holland

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Jaffe

Asa Johnson

Sara Ann and Bill Johnson

Betsy and Tom Jones

Mr. and Mrs. C. Frank Jordan

Linnie and C.F. Jordan, Jr.

Brenda and Doug Kincaid

Erline Kingsbury

Betty Kyle Alice McCarley

Mr. and Mrs. John McLemore Mardane McLemore

Jane and Jim Moore

Margaret Moore

Diane and Robert Nelms

T. E. Norfleet

Ann and Jack Nurney

Tommy O’Connor

Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Pollard

Robert Powell, III

Phyllis Pruden

Kathy and David Rawls

Dr. and Mrs. Mallory Read

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Stiff

Suffolk News-Herald

Indicated, notifying them of your thoughtful

Pearl Taylor

Terry Peterson Residential Companies, L.L.C.

Joyce Trump

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Williams

Alvis and Burwell Winslow

Cynthia Winslow

Jane Womack

Sue and Tom Woodward Thomas Woodward, III

Mr. and Mrs. Basil Yost, III

In Memory of Angus I. Hines, Jr. Scott Dean Waitzer

Katherine Bennett

Maxine Elder Barnett

Susan Bowden Neri

Jane Wommack

Henry G. Simpson

Ann and Robert Story

Greta Gustavson and Gary Naigle

Sue and George Birdsong

Irma and Terry Mottley

Carroll G. Frohman

Patricia and Dennis Dehainaut James E. Floyd, Jr.

Alice T. Cross

Nansemond River Power Squadron Cheryl U. O’Connor

Lauren Herterich

James Reightler Leslie Friedman

Christa Folkes BJ & AW Strattner

Nancy and Joseph Webb Margaret and Stewart Boyce Judge and Mrs. James C. Godwin

In Memory of William P. Blair Mardane McLemore

Martha and Linwood Callis, Jr. Linda and George Consolvo Anne and John Council

C.W. Brinkley, Inc. Construction Alice T. Cross

Nancy and Arnold Dempsey

Mary Ann and John Eure Kay and Donald Goldberg

Sandy and Chet Hart

Nansemond Pre-Cast Concrete Co.

Nancy and Wesley King

Nancy and Joseph Webb

Joyce Trump

Lydia, Eley and Duke Automotive Juliet and Calvin Fancher

Mary Lawrence and John Harrell

Charnell W. Blair

Peggy and Robert Colgin, Jr.

In Memory of Dr. James P. Harrison Jr.

Emily Saunders

Robert and Mary Ann Saunders

Mr. and Mrs. John McLemore

Kathy and David Rawls

Rich Pandullo

Alexander and Libbey Oliver

Mary Saunders

The Haddad Foundation

The Blocker Foundation

Thomas and Elizabeth Jones

Cynthia and Parry Evans

Hunter Duggan

Lisa and Harry Cross

Sandra Council

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clement

Frank & Sally Rawls

In Honor of Kings Fork Woman’s Club

The Suffolk Foundation

In Memory of William L. “Billy” Whitley Kevin and Sandra Alston

Joseph and Lynn Barlow

James Beale

Lisa Carter

Bill and Carol Ann Cary James and Jane Dailey

Charlotte and William Duke Robert and Kay Gillette

William and Pamela Hill

Gladys Horne

Ann Johnson

Brian and Mary Jones

S. Chris and Karen Jones

Charles and Linnie Jordan

Bruce Keeling

William and Patricia Kessinger, Jr. Art and Mary Latimer

Lewis “Buddy” and Cecile Morris, Jr. Richard and Elizabeth Morris

Douglas and Mary Jane Naismith

T. E. Norfleet

Jacque Pagels

Lynn and Charles Rose, Jr.

Saunders Supply Co, Inc.

The Village at Woods Edge Community

Service Council

Joyce Trump M. and B. Wright T. Kirk Pretlow

1824/1825 post-Revolutionary War tour of the United States.

By 1660 five Quaker Meetings existed in the wider Hampton Roads area - Chuckatuck, Nassawadox, York, Norfolk and Hopewell –but harsh persecution by Governor William Berkeley and other anti-Quaker officials backed by the 1660 “Act for Suppressing Quakers” led to the demise of all but the Chuckatuck Meeting. Passed by the General Assembly, the law described Quakers as “an unreasonable and turbulent sort of people... attempting thereby to destroy religion, lawes, communities, and all bonds of civil societie.”

At the time, the English colonies were tightly tied to the Anglican Church of Eng land, and many disagreed with the Friends’ belief that the presence of God exists in every person and with the Friends’ pacifist refusal to serve in the military. Often Quakers were barred from public office, fined, imprisoned, publicly whipped and even hung.

“Quaker” was, at first, a pejorative name for the Friends, but it has become a badge of honor, according to Pastor Richard J. Wilcox of the Somerton Friends, who added that from the late 1600’s rural Nansemond County near the shelter of the Dismal Swamp, was a refuge for dissenters, including a sizeable Quaker population.

The first Somerton Meeting House was a 20 x 20 log structure built in 1702 and paid for in pounds of tobacco, a leading crop of the area. In 1835 the meeting built another larger meet ing house on the current Quaker Drive site.

The Friends believe in peace and equal ity and actively worked against slave trading and slave owning well before the Civil War. Wilcox related a local story about Tom, one of the slaves who in 1767 labored to drain the Dismal Swamp for farmland under the direction of George Washington. Tom was not working as hard as expected, so supervisors withheld his rations. The man survived only with the help of local Quakers who slipped him food. George Washington, Wilcox said, later commented on Nansemond’s “trouble some Quakers.”

A Somerton Meeting family, John and Edna Hare, maintained an Underground Railroad station at their home in the 1850s. In 1862 four men of the Hare family were impris

Above, Somerton Meeting Pastor Richard J Wilcox. Below, Somerton Meeting Clerk Nancy Daughtrey, holds one of the traditional dresses used for 350th anniversary celebration.

oned in a Confederate camp for refusing to bear arms for the Confederacy. The Hares, descendants of some of the original meeting members, were ancestors of some current members of Somerton Meeting.

In the 1860s the meeting built a school next to the meeting house to educate children of slaves and freed slaves. Students came from all around Somerton and Gates County. The neighbors, however, were not pleased, Wilcox said, and arsonists burned the school, as well as the meeting house, on March 12, 1866. Somerton Meeting rebuilt the log school in a week and the new meeting house over the next three years.

Decades later, the Somerton Friends renovated the 1869 meeting house’s interior to accommodate the meeting’s changing needs. Originally the building had two separate but equal front doors – one for women and one for men as the sexes sat separately, divided by a partition, during worship. In 1900 the meeting removed the partition. They added a cemetery in 1910 and an organ, the first musical instrument in the meeting house, in

1916. Although music was not a part of the earliest Friends meetings as organized by Fox, Somerton and other meetings enjoy singing from a traditional Christian hymnal.

Sunday School was also an innovation adapted from other denominations and the meeting added Sunday School rooms in 1928 and electricity in 1940.

The Somerton Meeting joined the North Carolina Yearly Meeting in 1967 and, 50 years later, joined the North Carolina Fellowship of Friends. The meeting has a mission program that supports numerous causes in Suffolk as well as national and international missions. The Somerton Friends Meeting is an active member of the Coalition Against Poverty in Suffolk.

The Meeting House has a bright spacious meeting room and while there are no crosses or stained glass, the white walls reflect Sunday sunshine streaming though the clear glass windows. A large print, “The Presence in the Midst”, hanging in the front of the meeting room depicts a much earlier Quaker meeting with women in the traditional gray and white

“plain clothes” seated separately from the men while a vision of Jesus Christ rises above the meeting.

Wilcox, who has been the Somerton meet ing pastor for nine years, explained that their worship is a programmed Friends Meeting with an elder facilitating the worship including scripture readings, prayers and sharing of joys and concerns. Wilcox offers a sermon each Sunday and accompanies the hymns on the piano or organ. The hallmark of the meeting is the traditional “open worship,” a period of silence when the meeting members listen for God to speak to them. When they feel the spirit prompting them, they often share with the rest of the meeting.

Notably absent from the meeting as distracting are liturgies and rituals, such as communion or baptism, found in other denominations. The Somerton Meeting does celebrate Easter with a sunrise service and Christmas with a Christmas Eve candlelight worship. Advent brings a candlelit wreath to the meeting to celebrate the light of Christ coming to the darkened world.

Ol’ Saint Nick

Nowotny brings joy, cheer to children locally, worldwide as Santa Claus

Story by Greg Goldfarb Photos by Jen Jaqua

Dean Nowotny began believing in Santa Claus during Christmas holidays 64 years ago, when he was just 6 years old.

That’s when he and his older sister, Jane, tip-toed quietly down the long dark stairway night after night, flashlights in hand, to see if the red-suited man had visited their house yet.

They never saw ol’ Saint Nick, but they saw that their colorful stockings were full and presents were wrapped and waiting under the Christmas tree. So, with a sense of awe, wonderment and amazement, two little children began believing that Santa Claus might really be real.

“The proof was under our Christmas tree,” Nowotny said, “just like our parents told us.”

If there was ever any further doubt about his existence, it evaporated when Dean began seeing Kris Kringle time after time on television.

“We could get WMUR, channel 11, out of Manchester, New Hampshire, on our blackand-white television set,” he said. “It came in very poorly, with the screen rather snowy, which I guess was appropriate. They had a ‘Santa’ show where he would read letters from the kids who sent them in. He never read ours, but it was still exciting.”

As years passed and Nowotny grew older, his interest in Father Christmas, religion and helping others only grew stronger, as he became increasingly attuned to personal spiritual awakenings, lifting him up to what would become lifelong journeys into education, theology, writing, hospice care, human rights, performing as Santa Clause and raising money to help ill and disadvan taged children in this country and around the world.

“Two Christmases ago when COVID-19 was in full swing, I had to curtail almost all of my in-person visits,” Nowotny said, who turned 70 this fall. “Both my wife and I are in the high-risk categories, so I decided to go beyond Hampton Roads and I contacted children’s hospices, health centers, orphan ages, etc.”

Using online video streaming, Nowotny makes virtual courtesy calls to Africa, Australia, Europe, Asia, South America, Caribbean, South Pacific and all across America. One of the first people to respond to his outreach was Sue van der Linde, founder and chairman of Iris House Chil dren’s Hospice in Cape Town, South Africa. They agreed that Dean would try to raise money for the facility, which helps up to 658 children at a time.

“Some (donors) have already responded and the (Iris House) pump is primed with $350,” he said. “I am positive that when the season is over that I should have a few thousand dollars raised for them.”

Children in hospice care are usually near the end of their lives, said Nowotny, and Iris House offers them and their families much needed moral and emotional support. It provides holistic respite care services in its own hospice building and in the commu nity, as participants are either picked up to receive daycare or a caregiver is sent to their home for six hours.

“We also provide equine therapy, adapted surfing (for the disabled), medical training for parents, food parcels, diapers, support groups, family events, counseling, sibling events and physiotherapy,” he said.

Nowotny’s compassion and desire to help other people led him, about six years after moving to Virginia, to start working locally

with hospice care and now, with more than 13 years of experience, serves as a bereave ment coordinator for Legacy Hospice, with offices in Newport News and Norfolk.

“I offer insight and encouragement to help those grieving a loved one,” he said. “This would include facilitating grief sup port groups and one-on-one help. We do have patients in Suffolk.”

As devoted and focused as Nowotny is to his humanitarian health outreach, much of his heart, energy and time goes into playing the role of Santa Claus, in-person and virtu ally, which he has done for decades.

Appearing before still and video cameras, this year he expects to virtually assist Santa about 50 times, at home and abroad, includ ing in-person trips to local hospice patients and other nursing and hospice facilities. All proceeds he earns now as Santa, he said, are donated directly to Iris House.

“With COVID restrictions over, I believe there are people who want to make up for the last two Christmases, which had their challenges,” he said.

Nowotny remembers the first time he appeared as Santa — it was a one-day job at the age of 26 and his inexperience showed.

“I worked in a local department store in Waltham, Massachusetts, called Grover Cronin,” he said. “They had a Santa and an elaborate display for picture-taking. One day their Santa called in sick and I volun teered. It was not the best experience. My glasses did not look like Santa's so I did not wear any. That’s not good. I remember ‘misgendering’ this girl and the mother was not very happy with me.”

Even though he may not be perfect, there are several reasons why Nowotny takes it upon himself every year to fill himself with

Christmas cheer and slip into the spirit of Santa Clause.

“I like performing, which was one reason I started out at a theater college,” he said. “I love kids and enjoy making them smile and laugh; but I consider this a ministry and I will share the gospel, the true story of Christmas, with anyone who will let me. And finally, a good friend of mine, Kevin Hanson, who has been an excellent professional Santa, encouraged me to do it.”

Santa makes no distinction between reli gious denominations, Nowotny said, and many parents just want their children to find happi ness in the holidays and throughout the year.

“Surprisingly, even if the family has no church affiliation, most parents want their children to know about Jesus,” he said. “Now, some families do not want that, and some fa cilities and other places need to keep a secular environment. But that’s fine; if I cannot bring the joy of the Lord, I hope I can at least bring some joy.”

Over the years, Nowotny, as Santa, has been welcomed at numerous Suffolk locations, in cluding day care centers, residential homes and family parties and he hopes to visit many more.

“Since I am raising money for the children’s hospice in South Africa, I am trying to get as many engagements as I can,” he said. “I already warned my wife it is going to be a very busy season this year; it’s ideal that I am now semi-retired and that my work schedule is very flexible.”

Each of Dean’s performances as Santa is de signed to be unique, entertaining and familyoriented. They may last for 15 minutes up to an hour, depending on how many questions the children have for him.

“I give families a number of options,” he said. “Do they want me to read The Night Before Christmas or not? I also always make it clear that Santa no longer smokes his corncob pipe. If they want a Christ-centered emphasis I might still read The Night Before Christmas, but this year I will be ready (with another option) my recently published book, ‘Dear Maggie, a Letter from Santa.’”

As if Nowotny isn’t busy enough with hos pice work and being Santa, he’s also an author, having written several novels, including, “Dear Maggie,” to provide more context to Jesus’ life that people typically don’t know, he said.

“I wrote it out of a legitimate personal need,”

Nowotny said. “I tried to find a good book for children that told about the true meaning of Christmas. I am sure they are out there but my searching was fruitless. I needed this to share with the children in my visits where I am free to share about Jesus. I wanted a book that did not stop at His birth but continued on to tell the ‘whole story.’

“If we don’t know why He came to earth then His birth is somewhat marginalized,” he explained. “So, in my book Santa, of course, tells of Jesus’ birth, but goes on to tell of his ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and his free offer of salvation. I wrote exactly what I needed. And in so doing, I think I filled a void; His story does not end in the manger.”

Debuting on Oct. 25 at $10 a copy, it has received good reviews, Nowotny said, adding that some are hailing it as a “new classic.” It is being printed “on demand” by BabyBooks and is available on Amazon.

“Like so many self-published authors, I do not have hundreds of copies of the book in boxes in the garage,” he said. “If you are an Amazon Prime member, there is no shipping cost. It should be $10 wherever it is sold, but there are varying shipping charges on other sites.”

A closer look at Nowotny’s life shows that he was born and raised in Gardner, Massachu setts, and lives in Eagle Harbor, in Carrollton, in Isle of Wight County, with his wife, Susan, a retired teacher for the deaf for Norfolk Public Schools. They have two children, Nathan A. Nowotny, a Virginia Beach resident and Amanda J. Hiltz, who also lives in Eagle Harbor.

Nowotny’s busy, diverse and inspired life didn’t really take flight until after graduating high school and pursuing higher education.

“My first two years of college, I went to Emerson College in Boston,” he said. “It is very well known for programs in speech, theater and all types of media. Both Jay Leno and Henry Winkler were graduates. I then felt a call to vocational ministry and transferred to Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri.

It was there that I met my wife, who ironi cally was also from Massachusetts. I received my BA in Bible from CBC. I eventually received my MA in religion, with honors, from Liberty University in Lynchburg.

“For over 25 years my wife and I were in full-time pastoral ministry in Massachu

setts,” he continued. “That included a church, Faith Chapel, we founded in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and where we stayed for 14 years. We eventually moved to Virginia and unbeknownst to us our two children and their families decided to move here as well.”

Locally, Dean and Susan Nowotny attend Southside Vineyard at 13390 Great Spring Road in Smithfield, where he sometimes preaches. Matt Havens, with his wife, Pam, are the pastors for the congregation of about 100 members.

“I am asking people to make their donation checks out to Southside Vineyard because with challenging situations going on in South Africa I am unable to send them checks,”Nowotny said, who is an evangelical Christian. “Our church has a Western Union account and they will send 100 percent of the donations to Iris House.”

Looking ahead, in addition to Iris House Children’s Hospice, Nowotny will this year virtually visit a place called “Isaiah” in the KwaZulu-Natal area of Africa, he said, which isn’t a hospice, but helps children who are abandoned, abused and who are HIV-infected, from birth to 18 years old.

He also will be virtually visiting at least three children’s hospices in Australia this year: Bear Cottage, in New South Wales; Hummingbird House, Queensland, and Very Special Kids, Victoria.

Regardless of where Santa goes to share his gifts, he takes with him messages of love and hope, whether people believe in him and his work or not; but he’d rather that they believe.

“I think if we are going to believe in Santa, he should be the compassionate, faithful man like his namesake was,” Nowotny said. “Too often this aspect is missing and he is portrayed as someone who is going to bring you anything you want, but he ideally wants to bring joy and love, in addition to physical gifts. I visit some older children who are on the cusp of no longer believing in Santa. I have had more than one parent express the joy that I got their child to believe in Santa at least one more year.”

Visit Santa at stillbelievesantaclaus.com or mail Santa at StillBelieveSantaClaus@gmail. com.

Visit Santa’s Facebook page at www.face book.com/stillbelievesantaclaus or learn more about Iris House Children’s Hospice in Cape Town at iris-house.org/.

where

am I?

In each edition the Suffolk Living staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Suffolk you really know. We photograph some location in Suffolk that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is.

If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information to news@suffolklivingmag.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

Above, Steve and Kathy Russell, Roger Williams, Kay and Mike Gambardella, and Vickie Williams represented Suffolk on a trip to the Arctic Circle during their Alaskan vacation in September. We can check that off the bucket list. Right, Suffolk resident Linda R. Morton spent two weeks in June with her grandchildren, Abram, Emory and Judson. A fabulous time was had by all.

Last edition’s Where Am I?

The rusty sign included in our last Where Am I? challenge is on the Bennett’s Creek side of Decoys restaurant. Only two people knew it. Nan Sullivan was randomly selected from the correct guesses and will receive a $25 gift card. Find this month’s challenge on page 19.

scrapbook

POST OFFICE: In its early years, the post office relied on awnings and shade trees to keep it cool during the summer. In the mid-20th century there were two mail deliveries per day and the building offered a shower room so that the mailman could cool off and start fresh. There was also a “cat walk” inside for use by postmaster or postal inspector to insure that mail was being handled properly.

“SUFFOLK

— COURTESY OF

IN VINTAGE POSTCARDS,” SUFFOLK-NANSEMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY