Tali Anderson

Editor’s note: The following letter was written by Bishop John Howe and read at the Resurrection service for Tali Anderson on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Winter Park. Howe was the third bishop of the diocese, serving from 1990-2012. Anderson served as a former executive assistant for Howe for more than two decades.

It was very early after we arrived in Orlando early in 1989 that Harry and Emily Griffith had Karen and me to dinner, and another guest that evening was Tali Anderson. I don’t know whether it was the Griffiths’ plan all along to do a little Episcopal/secretarial matchmaking, but before the evening was over, I was convinced we had met someone who would be a wonderful partner in launching my new ministry.

Tali already had a good job, working for Dr. Tom Bates, and it was a little bit dicey asking her to consider leaving him … especially since he had been on the search committee that recommended me for Bishop Coadjutor!

But, with apologies to Tom, I did ask her. And amazingly, she heard the call of God to accept the offer. As I recall, it was only about two weeks later that she reported for duty.

She was a terrific secretary/assistant. She loved the Lord, his Church, and especially the clergy of the diocese. She thought of them as “her boys” (nearly all were men back in 1989), and she was absolutely wonderful at making them – and all who called or visited Diocesan House – feel welcome and important. She knew them all by name, and she prayed for them regularly.

She also prayed with and for me, a ministry of support that under-girded everything else.

She maintained the now nearly-extinct skill of shorthand, and it was a great pleasure for me to be able to sit with her face-to-face to prepare correspondence – rather than having to talk into a machine.

Occasionally, an important visitor to the diocese would come through, and more than once, Tali opened her own apartment to provide hospitality.

Tali quickly became a friend, not just a colleague. She and Karen had frequent lunches together, and shared prayer concerns. And she was superbly professional about keeping confidences and handling the sometimes sensitive information that comes into a bishop’s office.

A couple of times, Tali stayed with our children when Karen and I had to be out of town on diocesan business.

It has been several years now since we worked together, but we have kept in touch with notes and telephone calls.

Howe

We are grateful that Tali’s confidence in the Lord was unshakable, and we give God thanks that after the last couple years of declining health she is now in His nearer presence.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

With love to you and all our friends in Central Florida,

John (and Karen)

– Bishop John Howe now resides in Locust Grove, Virginia.