Funeral Sermon
Denelda "Nell" Tyrrell
April 29, 2015
May the words of my mouth and the
meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our
redeemer!! AMEN!!
Let us pray! Heavenly Father, today we gather to remember
and mourn the death of Your child in Holy Baptism Denelda. The Words spoken at her Baptism wove Denelda
into the fabric of salvation as only a perfect Craftsman could. For in her being washed with Water and Word,
the promise of life and salvation not only was offered by God, but the garment
of salvation was prepared for her. Today
in our sight Denelda wears the garment of salvation You prepared for her. We humbly ask You heavenly Father to comfort
us as we mourn, surround us with Your love and compassion and enable us to hear
Your Word and Your Name as the salve of the Gospel for each and every one of us. For with Denelda’s putting on the garment of
salvation in her entrance into the church triumphant You have fulfilled Your
promise to her on the day of her baptism and we ask You to comfort all of us
who gather with Your Love that You offer to all of mankind, but today
especially to and for Denelda’s family and friends gathered here to say
goodbye. AMEN.
Have you ever taken a look at people’s
hands? Farmers hands are worn, calloused
and cracked from the hard work of being a mechanic, a grain scooper, a
sprinkler repairman or a chemical applicator.
But a seamstress hands are usually sleek, nimble and only have callouses
on the finger tips from where the needles have poked through the fabric. Yet, a seamstress’s hands have to know and
have a feel for fabric and the correct choice, color coordination and placement,
how to choose the right stitch and even how to make sure the stitch doesn’t
unravel even after lots of stretching and use.
Denelda had these skills as a
seamstress and shared and taught them to her daughter and made special
mementoes for more people here in Goodland and Salina than could be counted. Not only did she sew she knitted, crocheted
and even made prayer shawls and baby hats as a ministry of love. Woven into each piece, whether garment,
shawl, blanket or hat for newborns was not only the dedication she showed and
shared, but the love she had for the one who would receive the gift. It wasn’t just a chore, it was a love that Denelda
had learned and was willing to share even to her last days. But she must have learned how to love from
someone.
Yes, when first married, Denelda
and Charles the love of her earthly life were inseparable. If you saw Denelda, Charles a barber here in
town, wasn’t far behind or was close by.
They clearly were two peas in a pod, made for each other and united in
Holy Matrimony on May 4, 1947. Their
union was a result of God’s definitive action in their lives and they shared
their love for one another and of nature in trips to the mountains to see the
Aspen’s and even playing games and sharing in and building family memories with
their immediate and extended family. Denelda
was unlike most who played games, she didn’t care if she won or lost, it was
the joy of togetherness and bonding with one another around the table throwing
the dice, laying down the cards or even coloring. Denelda could even give and receive a good
ribbing and sometimes even the laughter shared would resonate through the house
at night. Yet all of this came as a gift
from her first love, not Charles, nor her daughter Carolyn or her parents whom
she joyfully shared her love of and with, but Denelda learned about love from someone
closer and more special, her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Denelda was baptized in the font
of Holy Baptism on February 24, 1928 and took responsibility for her faith on
March 29, 1942. On those faithful days
Denelda not only received the gift of eternal life, but was woven into the
fabric of salvation by her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and shown the love
Jesus Christ had for her and for all of us from the Garden of Eden. Denelda was baptized and confirmed into the
plan of salvation and was offered eternal life and took this responsibility
clearly, unmistakably and without reservation.
For in Denelda’s baptism, she was promised that in response to Paul’s
question “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?”, her response
would be given by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ with Paul’s words. Paul said, “For I am convinced that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things
to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is the faith Denelda clung
to her entire life and wove into the making of each piece she stitched, knitted
or crocheted as the meticulous craftsman she was. But Denelda not only shared her faith, she
shared the love of Jesus Christ with others.
Denelda clearly made everyone feel important and was willing even to
take ‘new names’ because it made more sense, even and especially to her
grandchildren. The reason I say this is
because her siblings, Wilmer, Loren and Opal, knew her best as “Nell”, but her
grandchildren knew her as none other than “Grandma Missy”. Yes there is a story, simply it is this, when
her grandchildren were little, they knew she had a dog named Missy and once
when trying to distinguish between Grandparents, as kids sometimes have trouble
doing, the grandchildren heard both Grandma and Missy and married the two names
and in true loving fashion Denelda became lovingly known as “Grandma Missy”
from that day forward.
Grandma Missy loved to laugh and
believed and lived by the simple motto, “Simple things were always fun”. Whether it was being taught how to use the ‘new
fangled’ texting phones or having her nails done in a fancy way or even
teaching how to latch hook or seeing her children and grandchildren learn how
to make bows for on top of gifts, Denelda was always discovering and sharing
her knowledge and innovation with anyone who would sit and visit with her,
whether here in Goodland or in later years in Salina. Denelda could even make smores on top of an
electric range, all because having fun was part of her DNA.
But clearly today as we gather,
death and separation does not feel like fun, for, Denelda, the woman we know and
love is not here to enjoy the teasing of Dale or the potential of a police
officer giving her a ticket for sitting in the floor of the van, instead of a
seat and wearing a seat belt. Yet, her
memory and love she had for others still lives on in each of us and in all of
our memories and even continued to her last hours. You see the pride Denelda took in her work
was clear and the final stitch on the canvas of her life here on earth connects
not only with we who gather here today, but with a great great granddaughter yet
to make her earthly appearance.
On the day Denelda entered into
the church triumphant, where God fulfilled the promise made to her in her
baptism of eternal life, Denelda bequeathed a blanket made with the same love,
devotion and compassion she shared with all of us gathered here. At
nearly the same time the blanket was unwrapped at the baby shower, God received
Denelda into His Holy arms where she now has been enfolded for eternity into
the folds of God’s arms and rests from her labors. I share this not in defeat or loss, but in
the strength of God and the clear fulfillment of God’s promises to her and one
day to and for each and every one of us.
For God’s promise to Denelda in her baptism was that one day she would
wear for eternity the garment of salvation prepared for her when she entered
her heavenly home with her Lord and Savior.
And that day has finally come.
The canvas of Denelda’s life is now complete. For God the perfect craftsman, not only wove
Denelda into the fabric of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, but
perfectly connected each of us with her and her fun loving, ‘politically
incorrect’, but loveable spirit that we knew and loved.
And today as we say goodbye, we
see, not just a seamstress, but the full canvas of life of God’s child Denelda wearing
the garment of salvation prepared for her by her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
many years ago. May we be comforted by
this knowledge and feel not just the love of Jesus Christ, but how like her
Savior Who formed, shaped and redeemed her with His own hands and sacrifice on
Calvary, now holds her and Charles together for all eternity. Waiting for each of us to laugh and have fun
with them in heaven and be together again with them in God’s Kingdom for all
eternity because of the free offer of grace by God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus
Christ when we will be woven in God’s eternal garment of salvation in heaven
for all eternity. AMEN.
Now may the peace of God which
surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds and may we find
comfort and peace because of what Jesus Christ did for Denelda and each and every
one of us knitted into the garment of salvation by our baptism into His life,
death and especially His resurrection!
AMEN!
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