Bethany Church GriefShare
Tuesdays at 6:15pm ET

My name is Marty Smith. I’m a native New Englander, having been born and raised in Massachusetts. I’ve lived in New Hampshire for over 30 years, living in Hampton for the last eight. I’m happily married to Lyn, and we live in Hampton with our cat, Maggie. My father was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in January 1972. I was 14 years old. He passed away in August of that year. That was my first experience with the loss of a
family member. My mother passed away in February 1994 after a lengthy illness. The feeling of loss has never completely gone away, although my grief has become much more manageable over the decades since then.

In July 2012 my youngest sister lost her six month battle to esophageal cancer. She was the first of the six siblings to pass on. In January 2013, my wife of 25-years was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. I cared for her for twelve months as she lost her battle. In April 2020, my oldest sister passed on from complications of dementia after a long battle.

I have grieved differently over each of these losses. Some losses were more sudden than others. I was more mature for some than for others, and I had more support during some of the grieving than at other times. I hope to be part of a program that helps you process your grief in a healthy way.

My Name is Lyn Vail. I’ve lived most of my life in Massachusetts but moved to New Hampshire after Marty and I married. Ours is a blended family; Marty has two adult children and I have three grown children, all living in various parts of the country. Throughout the 2000’s, I experienced a series of significant losses, including that of a very dear friend and mentor. Walking through this difficult season in my life was extremely
challenging but over time God renewed my hope and ultimately strengthened my faith in Him. More recently, in January 2022, both my Dad and my younger brother passed away, as well as a dear childhood friend. More recently, I lost two uncles within weeks of each other in the summer of 2023. I trust that God will walk with me now as He did in the early 2000’s, giving me all that I need as I grieve my loved ones.
Marty and I want to share our hearts and experience with you as we walk together through the GriefShare material. Our hope is that you find our time together to be a safe place, one that is encouraging and hopeful. Whether your loss is recent or not, and regardless of where you are in your grief journey, we believe you will find support and healing through our time together. Please come!