Evelyn Yard - 03/18/23

We gather today to celebrate the life of Evelyn Irene (Wetzel) Yard. We also gather to share our stories, her story of faith and service, and to recount the message of the gospel that gives us life beyond the grave.

When I visited Evelyn not quite two years ago, I asked her, “What is it like to know you are dying?” She said, “If the mountains were smooth you couldn’t climb them.” Then she went on to tell me how wonderful it was to watch her family grow. She also shared her confidence that she would be in the presence of the Lord because she had placed her faith and trust in Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord.

Evelyn had many favorite Bible passages such as,

“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” (Psalm 119:71)

“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

“what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4)

“And we know that in all things God is working for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)

And, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest “ (Matthew 11:28)

All of these verses show Evelyn’s confidence in the wisdom of God for her life. She accepted the things that came into her life with trust and humility. She is the epitome of a godly woman. Let’s pray together.

Our father, we are saddened today that we have lost one who has been so dear to us. She taught us by her words and her life. Yet, we find it hard to be overly sad because we know she is now with You. She has been looking forward to being with you for a long time. Help us to remember Evelyn and to catch a measure of her faith for our own lives. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen

[song]

Evelyn was born January 6, 1931, near Fountain Green, Illinois, the daughter of Roscoe and Leona (Simmons) Wetzel. She had lots of great memories of growing up with her parents and siblings. At one point in her youth she had Scarlet fever. Evelyn attended Joe Duncan Grade School in Fountain Green where she rode her horse to school. She was a graduate of Macomb High School.

On September 3, 1950 she married L. Eldon Yard in Fountain Green. He preceded her in death April 28, 1999. Evelyn told me that Eldon was kind, honest and faithful. He was “the right guy at the right time.”

Evelyn and Eldon met at a time when they were both coming off bad relationships. They were at the Grand March at the Royal Youth 4H party. They were paired up in a dance and then sat and talked a long time and that was the start of something special.

After they were married Evelyn learned there were certain household rules: Evelyn was to be at the breakfast table each day with her clothes on and her hair combed. When she cooked she was not to serve a casserole or rice (because Eldon had seen enough of these in the military.)

She worked for a short time at the Canning Factory in Lomax, Brown-Lynch-Scott Hardware Store, for Bob Cratsenberg, and Little Brothers, all in LaHarpe. Her favorite job was being a farm wife and raising her two sons.

Evelyn was a “hands on mom,” She was active in Bible School and the Boy Scouts where she was a Den Mother for several years. She had Max Owsley in her Den. Max was/is known for being a little on the rambunctious side. He was disrupting the meeting one day and Evelyn stood behind him and said, “Max, sit down and Shut up! I am running this show!” Max was not a problem again at Cub Scouts! In these later years she loved being a “listener” at Awana.

She was known as the neighborhood mom because many of the other moms were working. The kids would come down to the Yard’s house. Karl and Kent got in their share of mischief. Karl says their strategy was pretty simple . . . if you did something stupid . . . run! She always told the boys not to wash their hands in the kitchen sink. She also taught them (and the grandsons) that you should always open a door for a lady.

The family remembers Evelyn as the family historian. She not only remembered things that happened, she remembered names and dates as well.

She loved being part of her kids and grandkids lives. Sometimes the kids and grandkids kept her busy (and often laughing). Evelyn was pretty proper but when she got giggling she had as much fun as anybody.

They went through great heartache when their son Kent died in a car accident in 1976, after he had been deer hunting. Evelyn said even though that was such a painful time, she refused to let that grief control her life.

Evelyn devoted herself to her family. The grandkids all had a great time with her. Colby and Teresa remember harvesting dandelions for dandelion jam. Jarrid remembers getting in trouble for shooting at Evelyn’s beloved birds. Amy remembers all the meals she made with Grandma and how in her youth all she wanted was to be a farm wife like grandma. Kerrigan remembers playing dress up with Grandma’s old dresses and then singing to her. She also remembers, as many others, the hummingbirds, the binoculars by the window and her bird books.

She did have some interesting times. One day the boys were out in the pouring rain and playing on a beaver slide. They were sliding into the hog . . . toilet I guess you would say. Evelyn had the boys strip outside and be hosed off before they could come in the house.

Colby remembers Evelyn teaching him how to use the rider to cut the grass. The rule was you had to make three passes around the house with the chute shooting the grass away from the house. Then and only then was it safe to turn the chute toward the house. Colby was doing great until he came around a corner of the house and he ran over a baby pig the dog had brought out unknowingly. The blood from the pig splattered the side of the house. All Colby could see at the kitchen window was Evelyn’s head drop and shake a little.

When Shane and Amy would come over Eldon and Evelyn tried to make it a special time. They went to the Wagon Wheel Opry and the Gem show which was around the time of the Farm show.

The boys kept grandma young. There was the time when Jarrid complained about the weak lemonade he drank out of the frig and then was informed that was hummingbird feed. Or the time the boys were driving with Grandma and they went over a little hill and Colby (who was still young) said, “Wow, that tickled my wee we!” Then he asked, “Grandma, did that tickle your wee wee?”

Evelyn made her own clothes and made sweaters, blankets, mittens, and doll clothes for the family. She had an adventurous spirit. She would travel to Atlanta to visit Jeff and Amy to spend a week with them and did it for 20 years. She was seemingly unfazed by airports.

She traveled with her sisters and with her friend Martha Teets. She liked men’s golf but not women’s. She did not like football (unless the kids were playing). She taught the girls how to sew, embroider, and knit. Whenever she would make a meal it included a salad. After the salad was served Eldon loved telling everyone to start with their silage. And that statement is still repeated by family members.

Kids spent sick days with Grandma. She never raised her voice. She never forgot a birthday or anniversary and somehow managed to get everyone a card right on the date of the event. She never had a harsh word.

She was always quick to volunteer where there was a need. Evelyn was a member of the former LaHarpe United Methodist Church, where she helped with Vacation Bible School. She later became a member of the LaHarpe Union Church. She also served as President of the LaHarpe Senior Citizens and served on the board of the LaHarpe Carnegie Library. She was an active member of the local Club 16 Group. She was part of the bereavement committee at the church and you could find her stationed at the front door of the church welcoming worshippers each Sunday.

Evelyn enjoyed working on the family genealogy. When members were added to the family (such as Michelle and Teresa) they were not seen as step-children but as he grandchildren from the very beginning.

When she was diagnosed with diabetes, she watched her diet very carefully. She helped Leana’s sister Melanie to adjust to diabetes.

When Colby was away in Iraq Evelyn wrote him regularly. She ended every letter with the words, “Keep the Faith.” She came to welcome him back from his tour of duty. Colby was in a sleeveless shirt which revealed his tatoos. Evelyn looked at them and said, “Colby, for Heaven’s sakes” and then added, “I hope they hurt.”

Evelyn wasn’t without her own blunders. Once she was helping to bale hay and buried the tractor. Another time she and Shirley were trying to burn some things in the dump yard on a windy and dry day and ended up setting the whole pasture on fire.

She loved her soap operas and was very sharp. She answered lots of the Jeopardy questions. She loved and appreciated everyone who came to visit her. She always had some kind of story to tell.

Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren loved her and respected her. She taught them to put family first, to be a true follower of Christ, and to enjoy the journey of life. She lived her life with her eyes and her heart wide open. She leaves an example we would all do well to follow.

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[Song]

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Evelyn Yard is now where she was yearning to be. For the last many months, Evelyn has been ready to go and be with the Lord. She enjoyed every minute with her family, but she knew her real home was with the Savior.

Evelyn told me, “I grew up going to church but only later did I become a Christian.” Evelyn understood that attending church, liking Jesus, or “being spiritual” is not the same thing as trusting Christ for salvation and following Him as your master and Lord. As she tells the story she was very active in the church (both the Methodist Church and the Union Church). She had been invited to our Thursday morning Bible Study for a long time but never attended. After Eldon died, she thought more about it. It was her birthday and she thought she would give herself a present and she came to the Thursday morning study for the first time. She was a fixture in the group for many years that followed. She was there even when the group dwindled down to just three of us for a little while.

During those years Evelyn began to understand the Bible like she never did before. She realized she needed to make a decision about whether or not she saw herself as a sinful person in need of God’s grace and transformation. She saw that this was exactly what she needed to do, because there are NONE who are righteous, not even one.

Evelyn told me she had a simple discipline. She got up in the morning and had to take a pill and wait an hour before she could eat her breakfast. During that time she would spend time in her Bible. She didn’t just read her Bible, she sought to apply it in her life. She moved from being someone who primarily listened in Bible Study to one who contributed to Bible Study.

Evelyn said she learned that God would send her the people she needed in her life. She came to see the gift that was in others. She had long since learned to accept the things she could not change and not be handicapped because of them. She replaced her confusion with trust.

I think Evelyn would tell me to not waste a lot of time talking about her . . . instead, talk about Jesus. She would want us to realize that being religious is not enough - - we need a relationship with the Lord. We must turn to Him and admit that we have drifted far from Him. We need to ask Him for His forgiveness and then rest in His promise to forgive those who ask sincerely. She would want me to tell you that Jesus didn’t die just to make it possible to live after we die, He died to change the way we live right now. It is like the difference between black and white TV and Color TV. Jesus came so that we might have life and have it abundantly.

Evelyn Yard was a godly woman. You knew her faith was genuine because it shined through her. She was a woman who could have said with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

She showed us how to live and how to die faithfully. We now let her go knowing we will see her again if we follow her footsteps. We rejoice at the thought of her in the arms of the Savior who loves her and whom she loved in return.

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Before I pray, I want to leave you with some lessons we can take away from Evelyn’s life.

1. Life will have its heartaches; you can be paralyzed or you can keep on going.

2. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. Turning to Jesus as your savior and Lord is what makes one a believer who will be welcomed into Heaven.

3. Investing time with children is an investment that will pay dividends for the rest of their lives.

4. You can’t keep kids (especially boys) from getting messy. Sometimes all you can do is literally hose them off.

5. The more you are willing to travel, the more you will see, learn, and enjoy life.

6. Studying your family history gives you a sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself.

7. Serving others is a great way to stay young, make an impact, and reveal your Christian faith.

8. In Evelyn’s own words if the mountains were smooth . . . you could never climb them.

9. Finding someone who can teach you how to live is great. Finding someone who can also teach you how to die is even greater.

10. Knowing someone has trusted Christ for salvation, takes much of the sting out of funerals.

Let’s pray together,

Our Father, help us to learn the lessons Evelyn taught us. Thank you for drawing her to faith in Christ. It is our comfort today. Please take the seeds of love and faith that she planted in us and cause them to grow and bring a rich harvest. Comfort us in the sad times with memories of her faithfulness and spirit. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.