Embracing Empty Spaces
by Dawn Wasowicz
In the West, where nothing existed but rocks, trails and water, an entrepreneur saw a town; his father saw a park; and his mother saw a chapel.
Bill Fain, a business and finance visionary, built Prescott Valley, a place to live. Norman Fain, an Arizona State Senator, built Fain Park, a place to linger. Johnnie Lee Fain, a pianist, a pioneer and matriarch of the Fain Family, had the vision to create a chapel, a place to truly be.
Chapel of the Valley was built in 2002 and houses eight historical stained-glass windows. The windows have traveled on a journey all their own. They were created in Germany in 1906 – the same year Fain was born. The windows were placed in Mercy Hospital, Prescott’s first hospital. As Prescott grew and the need for a new hospital emerged, Henry Lovell Brooks took out a loan and purchased the windows, placing them in his home for safekeeping. Fain and Brooks became great friends, who shared their love of music. And over time, Fain’s dream of creating a chapel – a place to ponder, pray and find life’s purpose – was completed by Brooks’ gift of the stained-glass windows, which depicted religious moments in Christ’s life.
The chapel we see today sits above Fain Park in Prescott Valley, and is a treasured jewel in our town. The chapel is run by Director Dawn Wasowicz, Bill and Nancy Fain’s daughter. Debbie Williams is the event coordinator, booking weddings, memorials and educational events. Darlene Packard and Mary Ann Sorrell round out the chapel team, keeping it open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with docents who educate the public and keep our rich history alive.
Economically, aesthetically and spiritually, Chapel of the Valley is the crown upon the park and the Town of Prescott Valley, whose residents so warmly embrace it. Together it unites three people, three visions, and one family with the community.
Fain Signature Group: “Embracing the empty spaces and harmoniously knitting the fabric of our town into a place everyone can call home.”
