“FRIENDS ARE FRIENDS FOREVER”
College friendships last forever. The song written by Michael W. Smith “Friends are friends forever” was the popular song the year we graduated and it truly spoke truth of our friendship.
“Friends Are Friends Forever, if the Lords the Lord of them. And a friend will not say never, cause the welcome will not end. Though it’s hard to let you go, in the Father’s hand we know, that a lifetime’s not too long. To live as friends.”
It all began during the years of 1983-1987 at Marion College then (now IWU). Six girls from different cities, different states with different majors. Deena Graf-Evans from Tipton, IN (nursing), Melodie Allison-Heer from Avis, PA, (Business), Colette Graber-Sylvester from Nappanee, IN (Med.Tech), Kathy Cady-Moorlach from McCordsville, IN (elementary education), Julie Green-Mowery from Flint, MI (Music/Business) and Dawn Woodard-Hobson from Indpls, IN (Social Work). At different times in our years together, we became roommates and suite-mates.
It has been 25 years since we have graduated and our friendship continues to grow in the Lord. We have shared in each other’s weddings, the births of our children, the trials and joys of raising our children, and now entering a stage of watching our kids graduate from high school and go to college.
Through the years we have taken several trips together besides the Spring Florida trips in college. Following graduation, we took a trip to Florida before starting our new jobs and some of us getting married that summer. We have met in Ft. Wayne, IN for weekends away of shopping and dinner and many laughs. Other trips include women’s retreats, a trip to Colorado when Melodie and her family moved away for a year. We frequent Applebee’s and BW’s in Marion for dinner during the week nights for those of us who live closer. We often close the place down with long conversations and many laughs. There have been times that we even included our husbands and children and have gone camping in Northern, IN and had parties at each others homes during the holidays. On one of our trips we decided to name our girls gatherings by using the first initial of our last names – thus originating the name “MESH.” Most recently this past February, we visited Julie & Erick Mowery in Cancun to see their ministry with Back2Back and were able to serve with them for a few days and get in some beach time.
Besides trips, email and Facebook have helped us tremendously in keeping in touch with each other’s lives. We are able to pray for each other and our husbands and children as we all go through different stages and different trials in our lives.
Deena (‘87), a nurse, and her husband Scott Evans (IWU alumni) moved a few years ago to Colorado Springs, CO, and have two boys -one working full-time and one graduating from H.S. Melodie (’85), a resource aide, and her husband Phil Heer (IWU alumni) moved back from Colorado and live in Fishers, IN. They have a boy and a girl in high-school and their oldest son, Matt graduated from IWU this past December. Julie (’87), a professional harpist, and her husband Erick Mowery (IWU alumni) lived in Caledonia, MI and have a girl who is a sophomore at IWU and a boy in H.S. However, Erick and Julie left the states to be missionaries with Back2Back Ministries serving in Mexico beginning when they dropped off their daughter, Eliza, to IWU on September 2, 2011. Colette (’85), a Med. Tech. and her husband Rob Sylvester live in Syracuse, IN and have a boy at IUPUI and a girl in H.S. Kathy (7), a homemaker, and her husband Rich Moorlach live in Fishers, IN and have a two girls in H.S. and a boy in middle school. Dawn (’87), a social worker, and her husband Jeff Hobson live in Wabash, IN and have a girl who is a sophomore at IWU and a boy in H.S. who is taking a class at IWU. Dawn’s daughter and her former roommate, Julie’s daughter were roommates their Freshman year at IWU.
Though distance divides us, our friendship that was started in 1983 at Marion College/IWU continues to be strong. We attribute this to our beginnings at Marion College/IWU and the strong bond we share in our Lord Jesus Christ and a vow to stay close. The tradition now continues with future alumni attending IWU currently.
Friends ARE Friends Forever when the Lord’s the Lord of them.
Written by IWU Alumnus, Dawn Hobson ’87