Christian Lady Funeral

Family Enters – Amazing Grace (Celtic Woman version)

Welcome and Obituary

We were all shocked to hear of the passing of Barbara W. She had been battling her condition for some time but suddenly she passed. We have gathered here, as is our custom, to conduct a service to remember Barbara; to comfort her family; and ultimately honor God.

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11.25-26

A question we might ask is, “Do we believe this?”

The truth is, Barbara is alive, and she has just changed her address. She is with God and will one day be resurrected to fully live with him forever.

Obituary

Song – How Great Thou Art

Eulogy

Matthew 13.44-45

44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Barbara found some treasures in her life. She embraced these and she made them available to others.

Treasure #1 – Jesus and His Church

• As a teen she went by herself to church – became a Christian and shortly began teaching a bible class

• Today is a reminder of one of the reasons we follow Jesus – preparation to meet God

o Jesus paid the price for us

o Jesus offers a great privilege of being with God forever

o Jesus invites – Matthew 11.28-30

• She also knew that God deserves our love and adoration

o Even if there were no rewards, God deserves our worship

o But there ARE rewards Life now (Romans 6) and forever (John 11)

• Jesus and His church were foundational to Barbara’s Life

o She was not perfect but was faithful and forgiven

o Her bible did not have markings but it did contain Prayer Requests and a Bookmark that had the story of Making a Difference for One Starfish

Treasure #2 – Her Family

• In discussing her life with her family, the consensus was that she was devoted to her family – her children and then grandchildren

o She attended her grandchildren’s activities, even sitting in 105 degree heat to hear them sing

o She always believed that things would work out and somehow it always did

o “Worry doesn’t help” – she knew you have to act

o Biblical principles – Do not be anxious (Philippians 4.6); Faith and works (James 2.17)

o “She deserved a trophy for her care for two very active sons.” – ER knew them by first names as they made so many trips there; Barbara got so she could remove stitches and save a trip back

o Rick spoke of her support when he bought a used 1965 Mustang. When the transmission went out he was frustrated and tried to fix it even though he had no idea what to do; she crawled under the car with him and said she would do whatever she could to help.

o Christmas was a special time for her and the family.

? When the family refused to tell her what they wanted for Christmas, she threatened them with a juicer;

? She set up her trains, a working Christmas Carnival (if one of the elements didn’t work, she put up an Out of Order sign), and North Pole with the 7’ Elf, Will Farrell

? Hired a Santa for the grandchildren

? Loved dirty Santa game

? Made sure everyone got a present, even those who might not be family and always sent people home with something, even though she liked keeping her stuff

o She kept the family busy with a lot of activities

? As many local Festivals as possible (Czech Festival and State Fair)

? As many activities as she could find for them – she did not like to sit, she liked to do

• Part of that Devotion was her Work

o She was proud that she was still working at 75 – gave her a sense of purpose

o She had a bullet in her desk with boss’ name (also SIL, Dan) on it and would say, “Be careful, I have a bullet with your name on it.”

o She had planned ti keep working even after her diagnosis – wanted to train her replacement

o She was outgoing, joking at work, made customers feel at ease and important

Treasure #3 – Filled Full Life (John 10.10)