Dash Between: Joan Park, 78, believed in her family, her Catholic faith and having fun - often with friends at bowling alleys

Joan Park visits the Hill of Crosses near the city of Siauliai, Lithuania.

Joan Park, mother of seven, got married in the rectory of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Amherst, Ohio, in 1953. It was a common practice in those days -- and for all I know, it might be the same today -- for interfaith weddings.

Her husband, James, a B.F. Goodrich lab technician, was as dedicated a Baptist and she was a Catholic. But he agreed to raise their kids in the Catholic faith.

Sure, there's more to Joan than being Catholic. She sold real estate, was named to the Lorain Women's Bowling Association's Hall of Fame and showed up at countless basketball and baseball games where her kids and grandkids were playing. You can read about that in her "Dash Between" in the Jan. 30 edition of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

Among the 20 or so photos of her -- alone or with family or friends -- my favorite is the one of her standing among the many crosses and religious statues at the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania.