Sedona AZ (March 14, 2012) – The public is invited to attend a memorial service honoring the lives of Carol Raynsford and James Johnson, the New Hampshire couple murdered January 6, 2012 as they sat in their red Subaru in a scenic rest area between Sedona and Cottonwood, Arizona.
Organized by community member Sarah McLean and Sedona City Councillor, Barbara Litrell, the memorial service will be held April 22, 2012 at the Church of the Red Rocks, 54 Bowstring Drive, Sedona with the Rev. George Ault and Rev. Donna Cavedon presiding. Raynsford and Johnson family members will share remembrances and a community reception will follow.
Dedicated to peace, the public service will provide an opportunity for the Sedona community to offer condolences to the couple’s families. It is understood by the organizers that the couple were in Sedona searching for a winter getaway home and a base for the hiking adventures they both loved.
“They (Raynsford and Johnson) came to Sedona for the same reasons many of us did – the natural beauty, creativity, peace, and inspiration that we all find in Sedona. April 22 is Earth Day and seemed an appropriate day to honor them and pray for peace,” said co-organizer Sarah McLean. “Many of us read about the ‘couple in the red Subaru’ and didn’t know much about their lives, but when Barbara and I learned more about them, we felt we had to honor them and share their story with the people of Sedona.”
City Councillor Litrell contacted family members who will be coming in from New Hampshire, Maryland, and Mesa, Arizona to participate in the service and to experience the Sedona loved by the New Hampshire couple. According to Litrell, “This is an opportunity to show their families that Sedona cares. In a spiritual way, the beauty of their souls and the beauty of Sedona have become intertwined.”
The service will include the late Carol Raynsford’s original folk music. For information and or to help, contact Barbara Litrell at 928- 649-0135 or Sarah McLean at 928-204-0067.
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April 22 Memorial Service for the slain New Hampshire couple Carol Raynsford & James Johnson… and you are invited. Let’s show that Sedona and surrounding area residents truly care about our neighbors and our visitors by sharing prayers and condolences with the families of Carol Raynsford and James Johnson on Sunday, April 22, 2PM, at the Church of the Red Rocks, 54 Bowstring Drive, Sedona.
The special memorial service will honor the lives of the New Hampshire couple and pray for peace and an end to violence. Carol, a holistic healer and folk musician, and Jim, an environmentalist and outdoorsman, were vacationing in Sedona looking for a home for a winter getaway. They were murdered on January 6 as they sat in their red Subaru at a scenic rest area between Sedona and Cottonwood.
“They came to Sedona for the same reasons so many of us did – they loved the outdoors and the natural beauty, creativity, and peace and inspiration we all find in Sedona. April 22 is Earth Day and it seemed an appropriate day on which to hold the service to honor them and pray for peace,” says Sarah McLean, one of the organizers of the memorial service.
“Many of us read in the newspapers about the “couple in the red Subaru” and didn’t know much about their lives. When Barbara and I began to discover who these two people really were, we felt we had to honor them and share their story with the people of Sedona,” she added.
Barbara Litrell, co-organizer of the service with McLean, has contacted family members who will be coming in from New Hampshire, Maryland, Mesa, AZ and other places to participate in the service and experience the Sedona that was so loved by Carol and Jim. According the Barbara, “The community of Sedona cares about its residents and visitors, and this will be an opportunity to show the world that Sedona cares.”
Carol’s original music will be played during the memorial service which will be presided over by Rev. George Ault and Rev. Donna Cavedon at the Church of the Red Rocks. The service will be followed by a reception in the social hall. For information or to help with the reception, call Barbara Litrell 649-0135 or Sarah McLean 204-0067. Thank you!
Carol’s friends say:
I think anyone who spent time Carol her felt richer because they knew her. Those who knew her could see the goodness and love that she had for people.
She loved to be among nature, cared deeply about friends and strangers alike, and encouraged others to share their creative energy and grow as artists and people.
She was beautiful and spiritual. She was probably the purest, nicest woman I’ve met.
Jim’s friends say
Jim was very peaceful, soft-spoken and a good judge of human nature and character and an optimist. He was known as the mountain man who loved the outdoors and was passionate about the conservation of the area. He loved the natural environment, and it was a spiritual place for him too.
One friend said, “I saw them as ideal, kindred souls.”