In Business or Baking, Kindness Prevailed

Ebinger also recalled how Jarrell, who rarely missed the Sunday service, would leave five to six poundcakes at the church office, saying, "give them to someone who needs them." Church was her distribution center, he said.

As much as she baked, she also prayed. Ebinger said that Jarrell had a prayer tree -- names of family members, friends, church members and others who need prayer etched in the shape of a fur tree -- that she had drawn on an 8 1/2 -by-11 sheet of paper. "Every night she would pray for each of those people," he said.

Jarrell had lived in her home in Woodside Park since 1926 and was often seen walking through the neighborhood. She stopped to talk to everyone she saw. It was just a part of who she was, family and friends said of the woman who voluntarily turned in her driver's license at age 94.

Ebinger said Jarrell had a recipe for life. Part of it included using her poundcake recipe, which makes two 4-by-8 loaves, to share with a multitude of people over 30 years. It also embodied her favorite saying: "An act of kindness is love you can see."

Now it's your turn.

Mary's Poundcake

Ingredients:

· 3 sticks Imperial margarine

· 3 cups sugar

· 5 unbeaten eggs

· 1 cup milk

· 3 1/3 cups sifted flour

· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/8 teaspoon salt

· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· 1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan or two 9 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pans.

Cream margarine, adding sugar slowly. Add eggs one at a time and beat well.

Add sifted flour, baking powder and salt to the batter alternately with milk.

Add vanilla and almond extract last and blend until well mixed.

Bake for 1 hour and 50 minutes, or until done.

Turn out of the pan(s) immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Serve as is, with fruit, ice cream, chocolate or whatever you like.