For parishioners at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shephard, Mother’s Day has even more meaning.

Along with Easter, Mothers Day is a Hat Day.

"We started having hat days last year to honor the memory of Diane McBride," said Lydia Landrum, worship committee chair.

Mrs. McBride, the wife of retired rector, Father Robert McBride, left a great impression on the parish before she died in 2006, Ms. Landrum said. Among her many other contributions, she founded the parish chapter of Daughters of the King.

"She was my best friend. She was a fantastic, outspoken lady with a terrific sense of style. One thing she loved was hats and she always wore them," Ms. Landrum said.

Like many Episcopalians, Mrs. McBride could be found in exactly the same spot every Sunday morning: her pew (front row, next to the center aisle on the lectern side). A plaque placed above her kneeler reads, "A pious woman, she covered her head in reverence to God…or maybe she just liked hats!"

The mothers of Good Shepherd parish (clockwise from left) Nancy Teague-Horner, Betty Petruska, Jo Anna Matejka, Jessie Leduc, Betty Baker, Brenda Pierson, Jackie Sikes, Ruth Lott, Dawn Striplin, Deborah Phillips, Nancy Harkreader, Lydia Landrum and Bonnie McGinty pose for a Mothers Day snap-shot in the church nave.

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