Mollie Darling came to Hampton from Vermont to be a teacher of Indian students at Hampton Institute. With her Indian students, she attended St. John’s Church, where she met her husband, Frank W. Darling. Known to generations of Hamptonians, she taught a Bible Class on the stage of the parish house for over forty years. During this time, she and her husband Frank supported many church activities, and hosted Easter sunrise services and St. John’s Easter egg hunts on the lawn of Cedar Hall, their home in Hampton.
Mollie Darling was the Diocesan President of Episcopal Church Women from 1920 to 1924, and served on the Board until her death in 1955. She followed the tradition of women who for many years have taught in the Sunday schools, supported the guilds, and participated in mission work. “Aunt Mollie,” as she was affectionately known, was “Friend of man, woman, and child, sick, poor, famous or unknown. When anyone was in distress, she was usually the first person there. Her contributions to St. John’s were her means, her talents, and her self.”
Originally published in St. John’s Epistle, April 2008.