Other educational opportunities included classes for Bible Instructors at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Through the years, Marion added to her musical repertoire by learning to play the organ, piano, vibraharp and marimba. She was often asked to play her violin and other instruments for public evangelistic meetings conducted by Elders Clifford Reeves, Norval Pease and others. In the late 1940s, Marion accepted a position as a Bible Instructor for the Southern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. A few years later, she received two calls for similar positions-one from the New York Conference and the other from the Florida Conference. Marion took the call to Florida and, through some unexpected circumstances, became the president's secretary-a position she held for more than eight years. In 1951, Marion married the love of her life, Charles F. Cashman, whom she met when she was a teenager playing for an evangelistic meeting in Massachusetts.

The story is told that Charles came to hear the message and the music, but never took his eyes off the musician from that day forward, even though they were not married until several years later. Charles died in 1979. Marion is a member of the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in Orlando, Fla., and served as the church organist for more than 25 years until July 2000, when the challenges of macular degeneration made it impossible for her to read music.

However, Marion is not one to sit around and brood. She celebrated her 89th birthday in 2000 by hosting a dinner party, followed by a Christmas program of music and readings! Another "instrument" Marion has learned to play through the years is the financial "instrument" of charitable gift annuities. She is a prudent investor who has used charitable gift annuities as a way to guarantee income for life, reduce her taxes and have the satisfaction of making a gift of lasting significance through the Marion A. Offer-Cashman Endowed Scholarship Fund for worthy students.

Are you interested in learning how charitable gift annuities may provide you with an excellent way to increase your income, reduce your tax bill, and make a gift to Andrews University, all in one transaction?

Please contact Sharon Terrell, director of Planned Giving and Trust Services, at (269) 471-3613 or terrells@andrews.edu for a free personalized gift-annuity analysis that will answer your questions. Remember, a gift annuity offers the advantages of: payout rates of up to 12%; income for one or two lives; tax savings and tax-free income; Capital Gains Tax savings, and the personal satisfaction of making a difference!