Jade & Tom
Family and Facing Bench
Stella Souza
Daughter of Jade
Stella is is a fully licensed cosmetologist and a barber at The Barbers on NW 23rd in Portland, Oregon. She lives with her beloved, Parker Swenson, and two of their friends in Portland's St. Johns neighborhood.
Ezra Souza
Son of Jade
Ezra is Jade's middle child, but he now towers over his other family members at over six feet tall! He draws a lot. He is starting his first year of high school this year at Richmond High School in Richmond, Indiana after involuntarily homeschooling his freshman year during Covid. He read lot of the Economist this year and is interested in aviation.
Solace Souza
Son of Jade
Sol is a student of shaolin wing chun kung fu and is learning to skateboard. He is starting his 8th grade year this fall at Hibberd Early College Program in Richmond, Indiana. He knows all of our neighbors and is great at making friends!
Karen Crown
Mother of the Bride
Karen is a social worker for the state of Washington and owner/farmer at Friendly Grove Blueberry Farm in Jade's hometown of Olympia, WA. She loves Brazilian and Cuban music and dance. She is a "crazy goat lady".
Ruth Scott
Mother of the Groom
Ruth lives on her family farm in Laingsburg, MI. Ruth loves to paint and garden. She spent her early years studying anthropology and art. During Tom's lifetime she has mostly worked in public health, managing aids prevention programs and federally qualified health centers in Michigan.
Bill Rockwell
Father of the Groom
Bill has recently moved down to Richmond, Indiana to be closer to Tom and Jade. Bill is an avid outdoorsman and reader. He spent his early years studying economics and forestry. He worked for the DNR and eventually set off on his own as a consulting forester. He is the vice moderator of First Congregational Church, St Johns, MI where is a very active (but now distanced) member.
Jiyūzan Rockwell
Brother of the groom
Jiyūzan lives at Sokukoji Buddhist Monastery in Battle Creek, Michigan. He recently started a remote job with Facebook. Between meditation and work his days are pretty busy, but he is also an avid musician and carnivore.
Matt Boswell
Pastor/Master of Ceremonies
Matt is the pastor of Camas Friends Church, a pastoral Quaker church. We will be marrying without an officiant, in the tradition of Friends/Quakers. Matt has helped us prepare for marriage, and prepare our semi-traditional Quaker ceremony, and he will help you know what to expect and introduce each part of what is happening. He also tells jokes!
Carrie Hutchinson
Clearness Committee/Facing Bench
Carrie is one of Jade's close friends who participated in the meetings for clearness for marriage, which is how Quakers discern together if a marriage is the right thing for a couple. Carrie is a teacher, a fierce advocate for disability justice, and mom of six.
Susan Jordan
Clearness Committee/Facing Bench
Susan is one of Jade's close friends and participated in the clearness process. Last summer, she and Jade took an epic road trip across the country with a cat and dog to move Jade to Indiana for seminary. She is a ride or die kind of lady. She teaches math in Vancouver, WA.
Kendra Purcell
Flower boss/Clearness Committee/Facing Bench
Kendra is a good friend, and served on the Clearness Committee. She is the administrative assistant at Camas Friends Church. Her heart for hospitality knows no bounds! She's also a mom and lobbies on behalf of our Yearly Meeting with Friends Committee on National Legislation.
Juulie Downs
Facing Bench
Juulie is the mother to four adult children, two grandchildren, and various other Godchildren and GrandGodchildren including Jade and her kids. For much of her life she was busy doing healthcare advocacy for her children and then others. She is currently studying to be a paralegal at Portland Community College. She is a prayer warrior who has a special gift of trusting God.
Susan Davenport
Facing Bench
Susan Davenport is a social worker and for many years took in foster kids in addition to her own three kids. She is the one who started taking Jade to Quaker meeting many years ago in a minivan packed full of teenagers from many different families. So many kids hung out at her house that she had to grocery shop at Cash and Carry restaurant supply. That is a true story. She is now a grandma, busy setting up community land trusts in Olympia.