Jean ********Memorial Service
Memorial Park Funeral Home
Opening:
Today we come together as family and friends to celebrate the promotion to eternal glory of a wonderful lady, a loving wife, mother, grandmother and dear friend, Jean ******.
The family "thanks you" for your prayerful support and your encouraging presence today. Today we remember Jean and thank the Lord for the blessing of her life. We also remember our Lord and the eternal promises that are now a reality for her today.
Before we reflect on Jean's life and the promises of our Savior, let's bow our heads for prayer:
PRAYER
“Loving heavenly Father, you promised to help us in our time of need. Bestow your tender mercies to this entire family here today. Shower them with strength from your Holy Spirit. Encourage them with your promises. Guide us today as we reflect upon Jean's life and bring honor to you. Give us eyes of faith that we can see the eternal blessing that is now hers. Strengthen us with hope today and always. In the name of Christ we pray, Amen.”
Perhaps the greatest song ever written was a song recorded in God’s Word. It was a favorite of the Old Testament Hebrew and a favorite of the early church. It continues to be a favorite to this day. It’s a song – a psalm – written by shepherd boy and King, David: Psalm 23
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Eulogy:
The psalmist of the Bible said: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) There are tears that accompany our grief at the loss of a loved one, but to counter that there is a joy that Jean is experiencing right now. Eternal, lasting and real joy.
Our loved one and friend would want all of us to reflect on the joyful times and always remember her with fondness. ************* was born in Sept. ***** 19*** in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She was named after her father, George. Her dad served with the FBI and always wanted a boy, so her name was selected in advance. She was named Georgena, when she turned out to be a little girl. She grew up in ****, New Jersey and graduated from *** High School #1.
From there her journey in life began eventually locating to South Florida where her children Wen** and Cli** grew up.
It was in the early 80's when Jean moved to Georgia and eventually met and married Tom ***. It was my privilege to perform their wedding July 3, 1987.
Jean wasn't afraid to work. She worked a variety of jobs throughout her life. She worked for Shell Oil as a young lady when living in New Jersey, but mainly served as an assistant at doctors’ offices in Florida and Georgia. She was working for the **** County Health Department in the 80's when I first met her. At some point in the mid-90's she served as a volunteer secretary for me at Lanier Christian Church.
I like to keep records in notebooks, so you can look in the 1990's and find church bulletins that she filed for me. Her mother-in-law, Edith was one of our dear church members and one of my dear friends, so when I whined about needing some help, Jean was between jobs and pitched in.
I understand that she loved to collect owls. No one's is sure why. I had a pet owl when I was a kid. Those owls could turn their heads around easily and their vision is very keen.
I think Jean was like that...she too was very keen, and kept a close eye on her family throughout her life knowing every thing her children and grandchildren did and keeping up with them and mentioning them proudly to others.
No matter what happened in life, Jean just kept her chin up and kept moving forward with great patience and determination. The family remembers her as an extremely strong woman. She endured broken bones, broken toes from time to time (from hitting the bed post by accident), and various serious illnesses through the years. It was during one of those hospital stays that the family learned about Jean's serious shopping addiction. Apparently QVC was her favorite TV channel. So, while hospitalized and on medication she ordered multiple items that came in numerous boxes to the Ewing home. She didn't remember ordering all those things....due to the medication...but she loved ordering by catalog and TV shopping shows. Cliff remembers always finding something new when he came home for visits.
Jean loved the military. She was a big supporter, especially having a husband who served in the Marines and a son who was a career Navy man and a grandson currently serving in the Navy. She was so proud.
She was a good homemaker and a good cook and made sure the family was fed. Some of her favorite dishes were curry chicken, London Broil and Lasagna. Tom patted his stomach when we were talking and said she made sure to make my favorite foods. Cliff experienced the same thing when he came home on leave from the Navy...she would prepare his favorite foods. That makes coming home really special!
She was an animal lover her whole life. She adored her dogs and cats. In fact four of her pets that preceded her in death are being buried with her today. That shows her true love for God's animal kingdom.
I love the fact that Jean could laugh at herself. She was her own comic. Cli*** said she had a lot of goofy moments and he has inherited that from her. And the most obvious first impression for me was her smile. What a beautiful smile she had. So engaging, so warm, so friendly, so caring.
If you thought she had a beautiful smile on this side of heaven, just imagine how she’s beaming right now, experiencing a joy like never before.
Out of all of the wonderful traits Jean had, her love for her family was at the top. She loved you so much. Always treasure the special and fond memories you have of your wife, Tom, and your mom, W*** and Cl***, and your grandmother, all of you grandchildren, and of course her sister B***** as well.
And W****, who took Tom and Jean into her home a few years ago, I know your heart is heavy and that you'll miss her deeply, but she would want each of you to carry on and squeeze the most out of this life that you possibly can and to smile and share your smile with others. To wake up and seize the opportunities in each day, and to live each day with the strength of the Lord carrying you through.
Jean had faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. C**** tells a moving story about her sharing her belief in Jesus with him in recent weeks. There is a book I've ready recently about Heaven and in that book I read, "Because of Jesus, we have the assurance that whatever disturbs us, disturbs God more. Whatever grief we feel, God feels more. And whatever we long for, God longs for more." (p. 92) (Heaven- R. Alcorn)
The Bible says that for those in Christ, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."
But not only that, she has experienced that grand reunion with all those loved ones and dear friends who have gone before her. If you thought Jean was a happy soul here, ...if you could only see her now....experiencing a joy which none of us have ever experienced.
Now, Jean would want you to know that she wasn't perfect, but neither are we. It's God's grace that is the great blessing over our lives. Jean knew that it was Jesus who gave her the strength, the joy, and the hope to keep going. I'm sure she wanted an even deeper faith, yet now she is experiencing the reality of her faith.
Heaven is such a wonderful promise from our Lord and yet we so misunderstand it.
For believers in Jesus, we will enjoy a life like we've never experienced here. A life as God intended it for His children. Heaven will be beautiful, just like here, except perfect, and freed of the pain, and sorrow, and death of this life. Heaven will not be boring. It will be filled with life and happiness and enthusiasm that God intended for us to have. And in heaven, our gifts that God gave us here will only be enhanced there.
I’m sure that Jean is enjoying the beauty that God has prepared and the freedom of no more stress, no more heartache, no more pain, no more troubles. I believe there will be animals, pets in heaven. Don't you know she's already signed up to feed the dogs and cats and offer them tender loving care. She's smiling and laughing and singing and celebrating.
Jean E****** is just beginning her eternal life. Her troubles are over now. And ours will be too one day.
The life of eternity for the believer will be grander than we could ever imagine. I love to share my favorite Bible verse at every funeral. The prophet Isaiah wrote the words and it was echoed by the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 2:9) : "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."
Jean has received her peaceful reward. We have hope here today that the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ are true. She had hope. That hope has now become a peaceful reality for her.
She is now at eternal rest, living out a joy like none of us have ever experienced. As the apostle John said in Revelation: “No more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain, no more death.” These things are all passed away. She is now at peace.
***************** is now at eternal rest. She will be in the house of the Lord forever. She is sharing in the joys of that our Savior has promised. Her work on earth is done. She has received her peaceful reward. For that we are grateful.
For all of you relatives and friends, treasure the memories of your loved one that are so special. For the immediate family, remember the things that bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart. Keep her memory alive by imitating her wonderful qualities in your own life.
May we never forget her smile, her laughter, her friendship, her kindness, her strength and her love.
May the Lord offer his tender compassion and comfort to you today.
Prayer:
Almighty God, we thank you for the blessing of Jean ******. We know that you are a refuge and strength in our times of trouble. At this most difficult time, be a strength and a steadfast presence for this family.
May your comforting Spirit surround them daily with your love and peace.
Lift them up with your strong arms and reassure them of your promises of grace, mercy, and eternal life. Give them hope for tomorrow and the days to come. Increase our faith Lord, so that we can truly look forward to that brighter day with you. Guide us all in your perfect way. Forgive us and lead us through your grace that we may, as the Psalmist said: “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
In the name of Christ we pray, AMEN.
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Committal Service
Jean *******
October *** Memorial Park Cemetery
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18
Our hearts are heavy at the loss of our loved one and friend, but our faith is strong.
It was Jesus who gave us the greatest words of hope and comfort in reminding us that this life is not all there is when he said:
"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." - John 14:1-4
2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
We see these words as promises from our Lord, but now they are a reality for Jean. She is home with her heavenly Father. Her earthly body we lay to rest today, but her heavenly body will live forever.
For now we say "good-bye." But, she would want all of us here today - especially her family - to experience the joy of this life, to share the joy of the Lord with others and to look forward to the joy that is to come.
There's a great old hymn of the church that says:
"When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, when we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!"
She’s shouting in victory now. No more pain, no more struggles, no more heartache, no more tears, no more sorrow. It is a day of rejoicing. For, as another Psalm says:
"Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his saints."
That's right, for all of us who are in Christ, the New Testament uses the word saint to describe us. Is that because we're perfect or really good. No, it's because of God's grace that covers our sins and flaws. Linda was under God's grace...and so are we. There is no telling how many times Jean heard the great hymn Amazing Grace throughout her life.
"Amazing Grace how sweet the sound...that saved a wretch like me...I was once lost but now am found...was blind but now I see.
When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun...we've no less days to sing God's praise than when "we first begun.
Jean ***** is living out the glory she longed for. She’s at home and she’s smiling and she's rejoicing.
Treasure the pleasant memories and never forget the promises of our Lord. He HAS gone to prepare a place for us and Jean is now experiencing her homecoming and reunion with loved ones who've gone before. May the Lord be your strength and comfort today and always. PRAYER...
