Larry: ‘Either all of us matter or none of us do’

contribution to make,” Crepps said.

Tangible support

To pay homage to Stream’s artistic talent, the church hosted a gallery of his artwork. Church members and visitors could view and buy some of his paintings, created through his lessons with Oklahoma artist Cletis Smith.

Meyers said Stream had expressed a desire to have an art sale featuring his artwork, so the day in his honor seemed to be a good time to make it happen. He said the sale raised $6,000 that will go into a trust Stream’s parents set up for his long-term care.

Crepps said she taught Stream when he was younger and part of a group of children with special needs attending Casady School. She said she began attending Mayflower in 2010 and was alerted to Stream’s presence by her daughter, who has Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. Crepps said her daughter remembered Stream from a school they both attended, and when she brought him over to say hello, he remembered his longago teacher. He said she looked like the actress Julie Andrews, who portrayed the lead character in “The Sound of Music.”

Crepps said Stream lives in an assisted living center, drives and is an avid lover of mountains and painting. He is a “gentleman” who writes thank-you notes in cursive writing to those who have befriended him or have been kind to him in some way. He also has a remarkable memory and penchant for recalling details about different books, films and aspects of life.

Crepps said Stream could not speak before he joined the Montessori children’s group at Casady all those years ago, but he soon developed good speech skills.

“He is intelligent, and in some respects, he has the attributes of a savant. As an information processor, his computer works very well,” Crepps said.

It was this attribute along with his habit of asking questions that led to the recent worship service dedicated in his honor.

‘We’re his family’

Meyers said Stream and his parents were members of Mayflower when he arrived there as the new pastor more than 30 years ago.

He said he preached the funerals of Stream’s mother, Millicent “Milly” Stream, who died in 2003, and his father, Dr. Larry Stream, an anesthesiologist for a hospital, who died in 2009.

Meyers said he did not think Stream, an only child, was at risk after his parents’ deaths, although the person, now deceased, who was initially chosen as trustee of Stream’s trust made some questionable decisions.

Meyers said he did, however, wonder if his inquisitive, oneof-a-kind church member would become lonely.

That thought never became a worry, because the congregation surrounded their fellow church member with love.

“I wondered about his being all alone in the world, but our church members take him to lunch and to dinner and do different things for him. We’re his family,” Meyers said.

He said church sexton Rick Bolin learned of Stream’s love of mountains and took him on a hiking trip to Mount Scott near Lawton. Crepps said Bolin and a group, including Stream, are planning to take an ambitious trip to the mountains of Leadville, Colo., in the near future.

Meyers said Stream has a habit of asking people questions at random. Fifteen years ago, Stream asked Meyers: “Should children be forced to sing Christmas carols in East St. Louis?

The preacher said he wasn’t sure why Stream was curious about this topic, but he asked the same question every Sunday, so Meyers promised that he would preach on the subject one day.

A few months ago, Meyers decided he would answer Stream’s query in a special way by creating a service geared just for him.

“Most of you know Larry as the gentle giant,” Meyers said in his congregational letter that shared the news about the service.

The pastor said his sermon finally included his answer to Stream’s question — no, Christmas carols shouldn’t be compulsory.

On a broader scale, the message was about the importance of inclusion for the greater good.

“The church service was all about Larry’s place in the beloved community,” Meyers said.

The preacher said in crafting his sermon, he was reminded of the Scripture in Romans 15:1, in which the Apostle Paul encourages those who are strong in the community to care for those who are weak.

“His (Stream’s) life has value because either all of us matter or none of us do,” Meyers said.

Meyers said the church still has some of Stream’s paintings available for purchase.