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.”