Verde Valley No. 7 Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star
Officer Installaion May 24, 2026
Central Arizona Masonic Lodge 14 congratulates the elected officers of Verde Valley Chapter No. 7, Order of the Eastern Star, on the coming year. Representing the lodge at the installation in support of our sisters were WB Christopher Hurtt, Brother Dewayne Woodworth, and Brother Wade Rea. Thank you for allowing us to attend your installation. It was a wonderful day, and we wish you all the best in the year ahead.
Installation of 2025-2026 Officers
Worthy Matron- Debie Stanfield, PM Worthy Patron- Gilbert Marriott, WGP
Associate Matron- Sheri Wadhams, PM Associate Patron – Jeff Browne, PP
Secretary – Barbara Wunder. PGM Treasurer – LaJean Landis, PM
Conductress – Donna Parrish, PGM Associate Conductress – Donna DiCola, WGM
Chaplin – Jane Blair, PGM Marshall – Earl Wunder
Esther – Linda Marriott, PM Electa – Laura Reilly, PM
Warder – Berniece Scoville Sentinel – Cindie Bernard-Rogers, PM
Father’s Day
By Bro. Ken “JP” Stuczynski
Member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111
We all can daydream, at least once, about what it would be like to be Grand Master, though we ought to be careful what we wish for. In a moment of weakness, I pictured myself ascending to the East, knowing what my first act would be. I would make my father a Mason on sight (if that's even allowed in our jurisdiction) so that he could sit within the tyled communication near me in the East. I could see him putting on his apron for the first time, and for me, it would be an unforgettable sight.
But the truth is my father doesn't need an apron. He already has made his whole life a journey that of a good man ever becoming better.
Masonic myth reaches farther back than recorded history and rational sense would limit. We have a tendency to elevate the legends and likes such as Solomon, or even Noah and Adam, as having been Masons. We want to retroactively install our spiritual antecedents as Grand Masters. We want them to be our rightful forefathers in order to stake a lawful claim in their heritage.
But I don't have to reach that far back. The values I would learn from Freemasonry were already prepared in my heart in the days of my youth by my father, as they were in him by his own father. The secrets of being an upright man were passed down unimpeded without ceremony or ritual, at least in the sense we mean it.
The scriptures tell us that during the age of the First Temple, revered men and masters were addressed as "Father", a tradition not unknown to a certain carpenter centuries later who taught us to pray. I do not think mankind has changed so much that we may not learn from this lesson today. I know I have.
But I must be clear. I do not speak of this to say the existence and practice of our moral science is unnecessary to the world or superfluous to ourselves. There are many who need such tools to aspire to higher thoughts and nobler deeds. And we share a common language useful for people who share in human charity and affection, such traits qualifying and guiding them to the Craft long before their first knocks upon our doors.
What I do mean to say is that men are not required to be Masons to be square and good and true. We share in the title Brother, but should never forget this claim extends to all under the Fatherhood of G-d. The grandest riches to be discovered in the soul of a man is the entitled inheritance of every man, regardless of how one finds it. Additionally, this means all good men are our spiritual ancestors and equals.
So we do not need to wish our father, or ancestor, or this or that person in our lives to be or have been a Mason. Masonry was founded and enriched by such men just as others were made better by it.
If I may learn one thing about Masonry from my own father's life, let it be this: our Fraternity is only one possible fruit of the goodness found in the hearts of men. It is not a written law, or cold tradition, or special entitlement to some few, but a practice of faith that binds us to, rather than separates us from, our fellow man. Apron or not, we all play our part in Divine Providence. And we should recognize, both within and without, faithful fellow workmen, our Brothers, and Fathers, as worthy of all our Love and admiration.
The Role of Freemasonry
In the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944
Freemasons were deeply involved in the D-Day landings. Thousands of Allied service members who stormed the beaches of Normandy were Freemasons, bound by tenets of duty and service. Many notable military leaders and decorated heroes of the operation were members of the fraternity.
Key Masonic Figures on D-Day
General Omar Bradley: The senior U.S. general in command of all ground troops on D-Day (and later the First U.S. Army), Bradley’s forces assaulted Omaha and Utah beaches on the Normandy coast. The landings at Omaha Beach proved particularly costly, with American troops facing unexpectedly fierce German resistance, difficult terrain, and rough seas. Bradley faced a critical decision: whether to continue the assault or evacuate the beach. Demonstrating the resolve that characterized his leadership, he chose to reinforce the beachhead, and by day’s end, American forces had secured their foothold, though at significant cost. At Utah Beach, the landings proceeded more smoothly, with troops coming ashore with relatively lighter casualties. Bradley’s careful planning and his insistence on thorough training for his troops paid dividends as American forces began pushing inland, linking up the two beachheads and establishing a continuous front. Bradley was a Mason raised at West Point Lodge No. 877 in New York.
Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.: The oldest man to land on D-Day and the first general to hit the beaches, he was raised at Matinecock Lodge No. 806 in New York. He requested three times to lead the first wave of the assault on Utah Beach before permission was granted. Under a barrage of artillery fire, he proceeded to lead the men across the beach, returning for the ensuing units. He greeted each newly arriving regiment, pointing them towards their changed objective. His humor and confidence encouraged and inspired all, calming the nerves of the young troops. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership that day. Thirty-six days later, on July 12, 1944, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. died in his sleep of a heart attack, at the age of 56. General Omar Bradley later said Roosevelt’s action on Utah Beach was the bravest thing he had ever seen, and, in a letter to his wife, General George Patton wrote, “He was one of the bravest men I ever knew.”
Sergeant Leonard "Bud" Lomell: A 24-year-old sergeant in the 2nd Ranger Battalion, who were tasked with destroying a battery of German 155mm guns mounted atop Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, France. Although he was shot through the side immediately upon landing, Lomell scaled the 100 foot high cliffs hand over hand on a rope while being fired upon from mortars on the beach. When he reached the top, he discovered that the guns had been moved inland by the Germans. After locating them, he used thermite grenades to disable all five guns. Historian Stephen Ambrose credited Bud Lomell as “the single individual – other than Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower – most responsible for the success of D-Day.” He was a member of Durand Lodge No. 179 in Point Pleasant N.J.
When is a Man a Mason?
by
Joseph Fort Newton
When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage which is the root of every virtue.
When he knows that down in his heart every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow man.
When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yea, even in their sins knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds.
When he has learned how to make friends and to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself.
When he loves flowers, can hunt birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child.
When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life.
When star-crowned trees and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead.
When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response.
When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meanings in life, whatever the name of that faith may be.
When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin.
When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope.
When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, and with his God in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song glad to live, but not afraid to die!
Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.
Father’s Day
By Bro. Ken “JP” Stuczynski
Member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111
We all can daydream, at least once, about what it would be like to be Grand Master, though we ought to be careful what we wish for. In a moment of weakness, I pictured myself ascending to the East, knowing what my first act would be. I would make my father a Mason on sight (if that's even allowed in our jurisdiction) so that he could sit within the tyled communication near me in the East. I could see him putting on his apron for the first time, and for me, it would be an unforgettable sight.
But the truth is my father doesn't need an apron. He already has made his whole life a journey that of a good man ever becoming better.
Masonic myth reaches farther back than recorded history and rational sense would limit. We have a tendency to elevate the legends and likes such as Solomon, or even Noah and Adam, as having been Masons. We want to retroactively install our spiritual antecedents as Grand Masters. We want them to be our rightful forefathers in order to stake a lawful claim in their heritage.
But I don't have to reach that far back. The values I would learn from Freemasonry were already prepared in my heart in the days of my youth by my father, as they were in him by his own father. The secrets of being an upright man were passed down unimpeded without ceremony or ritual, at least in the sense we mean it.
The scriptures tell us that during the age of the First Temple, revered men and masters were addressed as "Father", a tradition not unknown to a certain carpenter centuries later who taught us to pray. I do not think mankind has changed so much that we may not learn from this lesson today. I know I have.
But I must be clear. I do not speak of this to say the existence and practice of our moral science is unnecessary to the world or superfluous to ourselves. There are many who need such tools to aspire to higher thoughts and nobler deeds. And we share a common language useful for people who share in human charity and affection, such traits qualifying and guiding them to the Craft long before their first knocks upon our doors.
What I do mean to say is that men are not required to be Masons to be square and good and true. We share in the title Brother, but should never forget this claim extends to all under the Fatherhood of G-d. The grandest riches to be discovered in the soul of a man is the entitled inheritance of every man, regardless of how one finds it. Additionally, this means all good men are our spiritual ancestors and equals.
So we do not need to wish our father, or ancestor, or this or that person in our lives to be or have been a Mason. Masonry was founded and enriched by such men just as others were made better by it.
If I may learn one thing about Masonry from my own father's life, let it be this: our Fraternity is only one possible fruit of the goodness found in the hearts of men. It is not a written law, or cold tradition, or special entitlement to some few, but a practice of faith that binds us to, rather than separates us from, our fellow man. Apron or not, we all play our part in Divine Providence. And we should recognize, both within and without, faithful fellow workmen, our Brothers, and Fathers, as worthy of all our Love and admiration.
Order Of The Eastern Star Of Arizona
Verde Valley Chapter No7
534 S 12th St, Cottonwood, AZ 86326
Secretary: Barbara Wunder, PGM
602-290-9547 barbara.wundervv7@gmail.com
Stated Meetings: First Tuesday at 7:30PM
Dark: July and August
Father’s Day
By Bro. Ken “JP” Stuczynski
Member of West Seneca Lodge No.1111
We all can daydream, at least once, about what it would be like to be Grand Master, though we ought to be careful what we wish for. In a moment of weakness, I pictured myself ascending to the East, knowing what my first act would be. I would make my father a Mason on sight (if that's even allowed in our jurisdiction) so that he could sit within the tyled communication near me in the East. I could see him putting on his apron for the first time, and for me, it would be an unforgettable sight.
But the truth is my father doesn't need an apron. He already has made his whole life a journey that of a good man ever becoming better.
Masonic myth reaches farther back than recorded history and rational sense would limit. We have a tendency to elevate the legends and likes such as Solomon, or even Noah and Adam, as having been Masons. We want to retroactively install our spiritual antecedents as Grand Masters. We want them to be our rightful forefathers in order to stake a lawful claim in their heritage.
But I don't have to reach that far back. The values I would learn from Freemasonry were already prepared in my heart in the days of my youth by my father, as they were in him by his own father. The secrets of being an upright man were passed down unimpeded without ceremony or ritual, at least in the sense we mean it.
The scriptures tell us that during the age of the First Temple, revered men and masters were addressed as "Father", a tradition not unknown to a certain carpenter centuries later who taught us to pray. I do not think mankind has changed so much that we may not learn from this lesson today. I know I have.
But I must be clear. I do not speak of this to say the existence and practice of our moral science is unnecessary to the world or superfluous to ourselves. There are many who need such tools to aspire to higher thoughts and nobler deeds. And we share a common language useful for people who share in human charity and affection, such traits qualifying and guiding them to the Craft long before their first knocks upon our doors.
What I do mean to say is that men are not required to be Masons to be square and good and true. We share in the title Brother, but should never forget this claim extends to all under the Fatherhood of G-d. The grandest riches to be discovered in the soul of a man is the entitled inheritance of every man, regardless of how one finds it. Additionally, this means all good men are our spiritual ancestors and equals.
So we do not need to wish our father, or ancestor, or this or that person in our lives to be or have been a Mason. Masonry was founded and enriched by such men just as others were made better by it.
If I may learn one thing about Masonry from my own father's life, let it be this: our Fraternity is only one possible fruit of the goodness found in the hearts of men. It is not a written law, or cold tradition, or special entitlement to some few, but a practice of faith that binds us to, rather than separates us from, our fellow man. Apron or not, we all play our part in Divine Providence. And we should recognize, both within and without, faithful fellow workmen, our Brothers, and Fathers, as worthy of all our Love and admiration.
2025-2026 GRAND LINE OFFICERS
Grand Master Most Worshipful Leigh Creighton
Deputy Grand Master Right Worshipful Roger Biede III
Senior Grand Warden Right Worshipful Eric Dupree
Junior Grand Warden Right Worshipful James Xie
Grand Secretary Very Worshipful Greg Vasquez, PGM
Grand Treasurer Very Worshipful Ron Richards
Deputy Grand Secretary MWPGM Jim Baker
Deputy Grand Treasurer Brother John Olson
Senior Grand Deacon Worshipful Brother Reed Houge
Junior Grand Deacon Worshipful Brother Steve Bracety
Senior Grand Steward Worshipful Brother William Carnell
Junior Grand Steward Worshipful Brother Michael Flutty
Grand Lecturer WB David Fierro
Grand Chaplain VR WB Nathan Schick
Grand Orator WB Thomas Carpenter
Grand Marshal WB Lew Ivy
Grand Standard Bearer David Aguayo
Grand Sword Bearer WB Timothy Strasser
Grand Bible Bearer WB Harold Lindamood
Grand Pursuivant WB DJ Arps
Grand Organist Jonathan Edward D’Emilio
Grand Editor WB George Balady, Jr.
Grand Tyler WB Augustin Delgado
Grand Counsel WB Richard Leland Brooks
Grand Photographer WB Allen Nichols
Masonic Celebrations
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