Oh yes.....
Huntington, New York Congregation, circa 1970:
1) Sister Iola G*rn*r; an old biddy whose husband was not in the "truth". She never had any children. She always wore those pill box hats ( like jackie kennedy) and was one of those "ferverent" witnesses. She looked like she should be home baking cookies for the grandchildren she never had. Instead she would go out in the field service and tell us all what to do in a most determined manner. When we would go door to door in pairs she would glare at us and say " which of you needs a crutch? Jehovah wants you to go to the door singley so that you can cover more territory!". As the only male pioneer ( and the "brother" with the "headship"--chuckle chuckle) I would speak up and say I thought we should go in pairs. And I always did. She would glare at me expecting me to melt. ( instead I faded!)
2) Sister Rosemary N**l; a matching bookend to Sister G*rn*r. It was rumored that she lost her only son in the Korean war, and still believed he was alive somewhere and hiding from her ( the parent in me reacts to that and I do sypathize with her, now) She would be out in the field service with a pasion, and tell all the young mothers " Not to carry their baby boys straddling their hips---it excites their private parts" She made a few issues over this with enough mothers .
These "Ladies" are what we considered the "old guard". They had been JWs since the depression years, and although they did not consider themselves of the "annointed"; they were treated like royalty--not due to their age--but due to their "passion" for the "Truth".
In retrospect, I think they were just bitter, lonely old women who seriously lacked any other direction to focus their energies. Their husbands, always non JW, were useless to them; and comments and the interaction these "Ladies" had with others was always harsh and "damning"
Pschycopaths? Maybe not clinical, but these women had nothing else in their lives and took being a JW to a "new and exciting" level.They left me with some hilarious memories!
