Page 27 - Priorities #15 2001-July

Suzanne Eyre • 1902 to 2001
Benches in the Chapel were filled with friends and family that gathered on June 21 to celebrate the life of Suzanne Eyre. Mrs. Eyre was a longtime friend and benefactor of the Priory. Her good work on behalf of the school continues to benefit everyone touched by the beauty of the campus grounds, said Father Egon.
Fathers Egon, Maurus, Pius and Brother Edward offered the celebration (Father Martin was on the East Coast).
The shaded entryway to the campus, the trees and patios and walkways and plantings exist because of her hands-on work, her fundraising effort and her organizational touch, said Father Egon. Remembering her single-minded devotion to creating a beautiful
environment at the Priory, he said "If today we Benedictines would keep silent, not the stones but the flowers, the trees, the grasses would cry out to praise her."
In 1956 the school was just two buildings and bare land. Two friends of the school who were also relatives of Mrs. Eyre, took one look at the grounds and announced "We must bring Suzanne here!"
After a first look at the plain little farm, she quickly marshaled her forces—a cadre of the most prominentladiesonthePeninsula. Weekafterweek,themonkswouldlookuptofindtheseladiesintheir work clothes digging, planting and watering, all according to Mrs. Eyre’s plan.
The committee seemed happy enough to follow her direction, fondly referring to her as Mother Superior or The General, Father Egon said.
To fund their projects, the women began the Christmas Bazaars, which they stocked themselves. For fifteen years these bazaars brought in funds and, equally important in the life of a new school, brought hundreds of people to the campus, Father Egon said.
When a formal landscape master plan became necessary, Mrs. Eyre called her friend Thomas Church, the most prominent landscape designer in the area. Under an umbrella against the backdrop of bare, dry earth, she served him pheasant and excellent French wine—then asked him to look around him and imagine what could be planted.
He dictated on the spot all the elements of the master plan that became the priory exterior.
As she grew older and became less active, Mrs. Eyre still loved to visit the Priory to see the results of her landscaping work, to discuss plans with the gardeners, and to send blue and white bouquets to Chapel and for graduations, Father Egon said.
In 1999 the Benedictine Community presented Mrs. Eyre with the highest honor it can give, the St. Benedict award. The fountain on the third level is also dedicated to her.
Born in Nancy, France, Mrs. Eyre’s childhood spiritual advisor was a Benedictine father. Her knowledge of her faith was remarkable and she practiced it conscientiously. "We cannot speak enough of her strong faith," Father Egon said.
"We will remember her because of the beauty she created and the constant friendship she provided but especially because of the innate generosity of her good heart," he said.
Editor’s Note: An obituary with a charming story of Mrs. Eyre’s youth is posted on the WPS online community website.
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This fountain, overlooking the campus, was dedicated to Suzanne Eyre, who was the inspiration for all the Priory grounds.