Lubec: 70 years as organist

Until just a few weeks ago, Annie Gerrish sat in the same seat every Sunday at the West Lubec Methodist Church – in front of the organ. Each Sunday, she did the same thing at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lubec and, across the bridge and the border, at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Welshpool, Campobello, New Brunswick. For many of the 70 years that she played the organ, she played at three services each Sunday. So, last Sunday, Gerrish was formally thanked by more than 150 friends and members of the community. The West Lubec church was host of the reception for Gerrish and her “life of music,” as a plaque given to her read. Surrounded by four of her daughters and their families, Gerrish was overwhelmed by the outpouring of appreciation that afternoon. Particularly touching was how choir members from the churches in Lubec, Cutler and Jacksonville joined together to sing “In the Garden” – Gerrish’s favorite hymn. It made for a day of, appropriately, memories and music for one of Lubec’s cherished churchgoers.

NEWS reporter Katherine Cassidy