49-day Memorial Service for Mokuon Karen Nezelek

Dear Sangha,

Please join us for a 49-day memorial service on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 5 p.m. EST for long-time sangha member Mokuon Karen Nezelek, who passed away on January 5, 2023. If you wish to attend in person, please observe ZCS Covid Protocol and email admin@hoenji.org. The service will be live-streamed on Zoom (link below).

Mokuon endured ill health for many years, but maintained a cheerful and grateful demeanor throughout her time with us. One of the stalwarts in our early years at my attic zendo and sesshins at Alverna Heights retreat center, Mokuon was a welcoming presence for sangha members who began in the 1990s and later. Many of you have told me how kind and encouraging she was. As Myorin said, “she was a key bridge person” between SU's Hendricks Chapel, where she led zazen every week for years, and Hoenji. Doshin noted, “I have such fond memories of Mokuon. Her beautiful heart and caring spirit really motivated me in my early days at Hoen-ji.”

Mokuon was deeply compassionate, visiting sangha members when they were hospitalized and serving on the sangha care committee with Jika Lauren Melnikow. She was a member of our Tisarana Council of senior students, which I began in 2014, and was often the one calling everyone together. Mokuon was always at Dharma Study on Sunday evenings, even after declining health made it difficult for her to join us in zazen. A founding member of the early music group Schola Cantorum, she offered her considerable organizational skills and sang with the group for 35 years. She supported other musical groups, too, always letting us know of various concerts and offering us tickets. Mokuon was also active with ACTS (Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse). One of her emails from 2016: Dear All, Although choir has ended, I will be at the ACTS Leadership meeting Thursday evening. If I only could be everywhere at once in the relative world ;-)—Mokuon

Now she is everywhere at once, among us, with us. Her partner of 54 years, Dick Molitor, who taught yoga on the third floor of the Forman House at Hoenji every Friday and Sunday until the pandemic (and now continues do so via Zoom on Sunday afternoons), was in touch with me often during her last weeks. On January 5, I wrote to Jikyo, Jishin, Joraku, Myorin, and ChoEn, “Thank you for being our small Sangha Sisters group visiting Mokuon, both at Crouse Hospital and recently at Francis House. Sorry to have to let you know that Mokuon died last night just after midnight.” A few days later, we held a ceremony for her at Oakwood crematorium with Dick, our group of Sangha Sisters, Doshin, Daigan and a few others.

Gassho,

Zoom Info:
Thursday, February 23, 2023, 5 p.m. EST
Mokuon Karen Nezelek's 49-day Memorial Service Zoom link: Join Meeting
Meeting ID: 875 3305 2765
Passcode: mokuon