Cornerstone No. 188, page 4
Annette Daniel 1936 – 2017
Many members of the Scots Kirk will recall with affection Annette Daniel who died in a nursing home in Yverdon on Sunday, July 30. Annette had been a faithful member of the church since 1976 when she saw an announcement for the SK Bazaar in Lausanne and she and her late husband, Balasan, began coming to the church regularly. Annette lived in Mézières, in her family’ s home which was also the birthplace of Swiss Second World War hero, Général Guisan. A plaque outside above the front door proudly attests to this fact:‘ Général Guisan: 21 Octobre 1878’. When Annette finished school she went to London and worked at Dr. Barnardo’ s Children’ s Home in Barkingside. From there she attended church at All Souls, Langham Place, widely known as‘ the church of the BBC’ as its offices were close by. The Rector of All Souls at the time was Dr. John Stott, one of Britain’ s most prominent clerics, and it was at the International Club he established in the church that Annette met her husband-to-be, Balasan. The couple were married in 1969 by Dr. Stott. As an Iraki Christian, job opportunities for Balasan were limited in his home country and in 1973 the couple moved to Switzerland to be near Annette’ s parents with baby Paul, born to them in London. Balasan found a job in Geneva and two more children, Marc and Lisa, were added to the family. Before joining our church Annette and Balasan worshipped in the Eglise Réformée in Mézières. But once established at the Scots Kirk, they quickly found ways of service: Annette was a tireless worker, present at almost every service, Bible Study, and church event. They were particularly helpful at the Bazaar. Balasan was ordained an Elder,( along with André Durrenmatt) and proved his worth in many capacities. Annette and Balasan made a particularly supportive team. Annette was a woman of deep-rooted faith, unafraid to stand up for her beliefs. Who can forget the evening when a Harry Potter film was shown in St. Andrew’ s