As a young mother, singing alto in the Highland Park Methodist Church choir, Jane Marshall decided to compose music for a text she loved — the Rev. Edward Caswall’s English translation of an anonymous Latin poem from the 17th century.
Eventually titled “My Eternal King,” the stirring anthem had its debut at Highland Park Methodist Church in 1952, with Marshall conducting. Two years later it was published, and gradually became a staple of church choirs, giving the composer a measure of fame and a succession of welcome royalty checks. Read the UMNS obituary here.