Robert Grizzle Funeral
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Obituary - Shannon
Robert Allen Grizzle, 65, of Eudora, Kansas, passed away Monday, July 3, 2023, at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kansas.
Robert was born November 2, 1957, in Enid, Oklahoma. He was the son of Leon and Ernestine Grizzle. The Grizzle family moved to Russell, Kansas when Robert was young. He grew up and attended schools in Russell.
Robert was united in marriage to Dorothy Saunders on March 5, 1994, in Clearview City, Kansas. Robert was blessed with five children: Kevin, Carrie, Jamie, Rachel and Alan.
Robert was an independent Dry-waller. He worked in construction most of his life. While living in Eudora he worked for the Eudora High School as a Janitor. He attended the Cornerstone Church and was active in the church’s youth programs.
When he was younger, he served in the National Guard. He was a car enthusiast. Anything about cars he was interested in. Family was important and he enjoyed the times with his children and grandchildren.
Robert’s surviving family include his wife of 29 years, Dorothy of the home;
daughters, Jamie Jones and Rachel Grizzle;
sons, Kevin Grizzle and Alan Rhea;
brothers, Phillip and Richard Grizzle;
sisters, Patricia Dillon and Theresa Ehrlich ;
four grandchildren, Adisyn, Landon, Asher and Brynna.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents and daughter Carrie Grizzle.
Prayer - Shannon
Heavenly Father it is with a heavy heart that we gather today;
We gather on behalf of the family and friends of Robert Grizzle.
To celebrate his life, To recognize his dedication to his family and friends. And to honor him as a friend, and a valuable part of the lives those gathered today.
But we also gather to mourn his absence in our families, and fellowship.
Let this service be one of honor and blessing for both YOU and these loved ones gathered in this place.
Let your name be glorified and let your Spirit have His way.
Amen
Song “Home” by Chris Daughtry
Scripture - Shannon
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.
29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.
30 This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.
Open Remarks - Family and Friends
At this time I want to invite anyone who would like to share a thought, story, or comment to come up one at a time to share.
Eulogy - Kevin Grizzle
Song “Love without End”
Message - Shannon
Kind. Loving. Faithful.
Hard Worker. Best Dad Ever. Christian.
There are a few of the words I’ve heard that describe Robert Grizzle. But words don’t seem enough to describe Robert. He was well know and will loved by every person he knew.
I’ve been his Pastor for the last 6 years and I can tell you that he was a pillar in our church. He was the first and last person you’d talk to when you came to church each Sunday. He truly loved the Lord.
Today we mourn the loss of Robert. He was a brother, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He will be missed.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (CEV)
1 Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.
2 There is a time for birth and death,
The bible tells us what we already know; we will all pass from this life, but when we are faced with the death of our closest loved ones it can seem unbearable.
What can we do in such difficult times?
We can remember life. Robert lived life in a special way, and he would want you to continue to live life to the fullest each and every day.
Kevin told me that he talked to his dad almost every day on video chat. Never on the phone, always via video. It seems to me that family was the most important part of Robert’s daily living. He knew that life was short and every moment counted.
We should be reminded that life is short and that we should work to fulfill our dreams in honor of Robert.
Robert made a difference in this world. Not only in the lives of the people gathered here, but in the lives of complete strangers. Many times at the church Robert would care for people that others would forget.
I can remember a teenager who started to come to church, but for whatever reason they stopped coming. Robert found out where they lived and started picking him up each and every Sunday morning.
He didn’t judge people. His life was an example of treating people the right way.
There’s a scripture I want to share with you that I think will give you comfort today.
54 The bodies we now have are weak and can die. But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal. Then the Scriptures will come true, “Death has lost the battle!
55 Where is its victory? Where is its sting?”
56 Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin.
57 But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!
58 My dear friends, stand firm and don’t be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.
God says, “Death is inevitable, but not natural.”
Robert loved when I’d tell stories during a sermon. I have a little story for you today.
According to one of the tales of the old West, there was a character named Wild Bill Langley.
He supposedly had killed thirty-two people.
He became a legend because one time he was strung up to be hung by vigilantes. They began to shoot at him as he swung by the rope. They missed him, hit the rope, and he escaped.
Another time, a sheriff tried to hang him, but made the rope too long and Wild Bill dropped to his feet on the ground and he took off!
Some people felt that since he had cheated death so often, his casket was filled with rocks, and he had escaped.
They dug up his grave to see if he was really there. The DNA matched his descendants. Wild Bill didn’t cheat death. No one does.
I tell this story because it reminds us that no one cheats death.
But, I have good news. We CAN defeat death.
Through Christ we can move from death to a larger life.
Death is the most common event in human history. More common than marriage, because not every-one marries. More common than child-bearing because not all men or women have children.
The tragedy of death is that it was not a part of God’s original plan.
He created man to live, not to die. God is the life-giver. Everything he touches brings life.
Sin entered the arena of life through the first man. And death has been on the scene ever since.
As human beings, we try to give meaning to death. Some do it by seeking to be master of it by trying to control their destiny. Others seek immortality through the false hope of reincarnation. There are others who do it by trying to leave a legacy, a memorial of their lives, through the family, works of art, or other achievements.
But sadly, there is no cure for death.
Faced with this reality, the question arises, “Where is God in the face of death?”
God is with us when we face death. Robert was not alone when he passed. His family was with him, and God was with him.
When we face death, God begins to work in our hearts and lives. He reminds us that we’ve gone through difficult times in the past and we made it through. We have the hope that God will help us through death as well. He has prepared a place for us after this life.
2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you.
Jesus told us that there is a place waiting that we call heaven.
What kind of place is heaven?
9 But it is just as the Scriptures say, “What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!”
Death is a certainty in life, but so is heaven. We have a hope on the other side of this life. God want’s people to live forever with Him.
This is good news for us to find hope in today.
How can we be assured that one day we will enter this place called heaven? It’s actually very simple. So simple in fact that even a child could understand without doubt that they are able to enter into that wonderful place of rest.
Robert would want me to tell you how to be saved and how you can know that you are heaven bound.
9 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death.
10 God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.
God has made a way for us to be saved if we place our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We surrender our lives to Him and our reward is eternity with the Father and our loved ones who have passed.
I know that Robert believed in Jesus and surrendered his heart to Him. His life proved that he trusted the Lord for salvation.
Death is intimidating. It’s difficult. It just feels wrong.
Yet, in the scripture I read to you earlier it says that Death has lost the victory and it’s sting.
How can this be true?
There is life beyond this world. Life extends beyond the physical. There is more to come. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all who belong to him will live forever. Jesus put death to death. Because he did, we go from termination to emigration.
Instead of looking at the face of death, we can look into the face of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We must stand in faith on this truth and allow it to comfort us in this time of loss.
If he could, I think Robert would want to tell you something today.
Life is going to be different without him. It’s ok to cry. It’s ok to grieve. Remember that he told you time and time again that he loved you. No one can take away his love or his memories. You’ll carry those with you forever.
We are all grieving the loss of Robert. But we must have hope.
Hope that one day we’ll be reunited with him.
I encourage you to give your life to the Lord Jesus. When you do, you can look forward to the day when you’ll receive a big ol’ bear hug from Robert in a place the Lord has prepared for His followers.
Song “Beat you there” - Will Dempsey
Closing Prayer - Shannon
Father it is in you that we find peace, we have come together to mourn the loss of Robert.
It is our request from you today is that though there has been a void created in our Hearts and Lives. That your Holy Spirit would move into that void, and bring Peace and comfort as only you can.
And if there are those here today, that do not know of the Blessed Hope that you offer to your Children, may they know today, that true life is only found in a relationship with you.
Jesus we surrender to you today. We give you our heart. Please be with us as we mourn.
Let each of us keep in our hearts the loving memory of Robert, and let your Spirit constantly remind us of the guarantee we find in your word concerning the life changing presence of Christ, where You said “I will never leave you nor forsake you, even until the end of the world.”
Please be with these dear people as they experience this day of mourning,
Let your mercy and Grace guide us in the hours and days to come.
In Jesus name
Graveside
Graveside
As we are standing at the graveside we need a word of hope.
It is from the word of God that we find hope in a time like this:
13 My friends, we want you to understand how it will be for those followers who have already died. Then you won’t grieve over them and be like people who don’t have any hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and was raised to life. We also believe that when God brings Jesus back again, he will bring with him all who had faith in Jesus before they died.
15 Our Lord Jesus told us that when he comes, we won’t go up to meet him ahead of his followers who have already died.
16 With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God’s trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life.
17 Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. From that time on we will all be with the Lord forever.
18 Encourage each other with these words.
These words are given, not to scare us or make us anxious, but to bring Comfort and Assurance.
We can know that the Lord Himself will return and we will be reunited with loved ones who have gone to the Lord before us.
----
As we think about Robert we turn to a scripture that describes a true believer.
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
We know this day that Robert was known by the Lord. He was like a tree planted by rivers of living water.
We can confidently declare the true of scripture when Paul said:
“Oh death, where is your sting, O grave, where is your victory;”
God alone gives us the victory over death, hell and the grave through Jesus Christ our Lord.
No death shall hurt or torment us in Christ, and no grave shall hold us because:
“where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom”
COMMITTAL STATEMENT:
Robert, has finished this earthly life with many friends and family standing here to affirm his efforts of love and kindness. But as we stand here this day, Robert has gone before us, his spirit has already ascended and he has already experienced the very presence of God. It was Jesus that said to one of the men dying on the cross, “ this day you shall be with me In Paradise”.
So the ashes before us now are but a reminder of the earthly tabernacle, the house in which he lived among us for a time. Tenderly and reverently we commit that house to the grave. The body returns to earth from which it came; earth to earth ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
His spirit returns to God who gave it, waiting for the day when both spirit and body shall again be united at the coming of our Lord.
GRAVESIDE PRAYER:
Heavenly Father into your hands we commit Robert; and as we have shared this blessed hope as it is written in your Holy Word. We anxiously anticipate the return of your dear Son. On that day the grave will give up the body to be rejoined with the spirit, and to be reunited with loved ones.
Until that wonderful day we also commit into your merciful hands the family and friends of Angel, and ask your rich blessings upon them, make alive the hope that is available to all those who call upon Your Name.
Bless them each one with your presence, for in your presence is fullness of joy and life everlasting. Bless them with Your sweet Spirit, because You have said where Your Spirit is there is liberty.
Let each of them discover as they battle with emotions and a sense of loss, that they can experience from You “a peace that passes all understanding”
Go with them today , refresh each one in mind and soul by the power of your Holy Spirit
In the Name of Jesus