Celebration of Life Service for Dixie Mann
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Celebration of Life Service for Dixie Mann
January 12, 2024
Welcome – Scripture Reading and Prayer: Rick Schwartz
On behalf of the family of Dixie Mann, we welcome you to her celebration of life service.
Today is a day filled with a mixture of emotions—deep sadness and grief at losing this dear woman.
And that sadness is a sign of your deep love and care for her. I would encourage you to let the tears flow. We have a God who sees that.
8 Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll— are they not in your record?
God sees and records your tears and we can cry to him, knowing He cares.
We also have thankfulness for her life and the impact that she made on all of us here. You can thank God that He gave you many years with her.
and amidst the grief we even have hope--that as a believer in Jesus Christ, she is no longer suffering on this earth but is with her Lord and Savior in the presence of Jesus.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
the reason that death is gain for a believer—is they get to depart and be with Christ.
so Dixie has departed from this life and opened her eyes in the presence of Jesus. and we have tremendous hope that she is experiencing eternal bliss with her Savior.
It’s a mixture of all those emotions and feelings today.
And we are thankful that we have a God who allows us to pour out all of these emotions and thoughts to Him.
and who walks with us.
I want to read one of her favorite Psalms as we begin that talks about how God walks with us through all this...
The Holy Bible: King James Version Psalm 23
PSALM 23
A Psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 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. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Let’s pray.
Obituary Reading? - Rick Schwartz
Whenever we take time to honor a loved one, I believe we should have at least 2 goals:
to honor the loved one and their memories and the impact they made. Dixie made a big impact
and to honor Dixie’s Savior and Lord-Jesus Christ and to look at what the Bible says about life and death.
(omit?) (Invite Stacey up first?)
As part of our service, I am going to read her obituary.
and then when I am done, John and Dixie’s nice Stacey is going to share some memories.
Dixie J. Mann, 83, of Geneva, Indiana, passed away on Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 7:28 pm at Envive of Berne, Indiana. She was born on December 16, 1940, in Huntington, Indiana to William and Alice (Philley) Lafferty.
Dixie attended St. Mary’s Parochial School and graduated from Huntington High School in 1958. She chose a career in business and was employed as a Corporate Executive Secretary with Memcor/LTV Electrosystems of Huntington, IN, and Magnavox G&I Division, Fort Wayne, IN. Her business career led to diverse experience in public relations, marketing, and sales. Dixie’s artistic interest expressed through self-employment as an independent skincare and cosmetic consultant/manager, over thirty years with two corporations, Finelle Cosmetics and Jeunique International. On November 28, 1970, she married the love of her life, John L. Mann in Fort Wayne. Together the two of them shared a lifetime of love and memories.
In 1975, Dixie, her husband and sons moved to Portland, Indiana, where she resumed her business interests as a free-lance Reporter and Director of Public Relations and Marketing for Citizens Bank & Travel of Portland. She was a 10-year member of Portland Beta Theta Chapter, Tri-Kappa Sorority, and served as Recording Secretary and President of the chapter.
In 2000, a move to Geneva, Indiana, provided opportunities in business and helping others, as a Real Estate Sales Associate with Mann Realty. She joined Geneva Proud with her husband John and served on the Board of Directors and second President of the renewed Geneva Chamber of Commerce. As a member of Geneva Proud she authored a new guest column for Geneva in local newspapers. She designed Geneva Notes, which led to a page dedicated by a county paper, as Geneva Today. Dixie’s interest in art and photography provided nature photos for her beloved family, friends, and local papers over the years. She was a supporting member of Friends of the Limberlost and Arts Place. She was a member of First Missionary Church in Berne and enjoyed sharing faith stories with family and friends. Dixie became a member of Wired4Life.com in 2005, as a guest columnist for the new website newsletter designed for women members who have received implanted cardiac devices.
Dixie enjoyed nature and wildlife photography, interior design, sharing inspirational emails with shut-ins and friends; landscape gardening and caring for pets. Her love of nature’s wildlife was of great enjoyment in a rural country setting of Geneva’s Limberlost area, South Adams, County, where she called home.
Loving survivors include her husband, John L. Mann, of Geneva, IN, sons, Richard M. Mann, Jeffersonville, OH, Justin L. Mann, of Worthington, IN, sister, Marilyn (Larry) Shellenbarger, of Huntington, IN and grandchildren, Austin Mann, of Sabina, OH, and Kaleigh & Kiera Mann both of Worthington, IN.
Memories
Stacey
Justin?
Message - Rick Schwartz
One of our purposes today is not only to honor Dixie’s life, but to honor her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Today is an opportunity to either remind ourselves what we have known about what the Bible says about life and death, or to learn it for the first time.
and to do this I want to incorporate themes from Dixie’s life and tie them in with Scripture.
and she wrote down her wishes, and I quote her, “I am a christian and know that I am dust. I do not want to have a funeral of solemnity.” solemnity—we don’t use that word much—means: the state or quality of being serious and dignified.
so I will do my best not to make this filled with solemnity!
One of the themes we know about Dixie is that she loved nature and wildlife. She loved her cats…and there was no such thing as a stray cat—she would feed and take care them.
even the Christmas card she send to my email began with a cat, and the song O Holy Night playing while snow fell in the background.
She loved birds—she would watch her bird-feeder. she loved cardinals. When they owned their place in the country…she would feed the birds, and there was one particular goose, who for a while could not fly—was injured. So she would feed it, and check in on it, and connect with it. And then eventually the goose got better and was able to fly away.
fast forward, to when John and Dixie moved to their new place in Berne, she claims that that same goose still visited her.
she learned much through nature and believe God spoke to her through nature.
The Bible says much about nature and what we can learn.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
From nature, we can learn that there is a God, a designer who exists, who created all things.
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
we look at the wildlife—the cats, the geese, the trees—the stars, and know there is a God who is powerful, a designer, artistic, expressive.
and the Bible affirms that there is an all-powerful, Creator God who made all things, and made us, too.
Jesus Christ used nature as a powerful illustration to teach us many things.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
so one of the first reminders from the Bible and Dixie’s life—is there is a God who exists who loves you and cares for you—and wants to have a relationship with you. and He gives us reminder of that in nature everyday.
but the problem is that even though God made us and loves us, the Bible is clear that we have all turned away from God.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
so if the Lord is our shepherd…we often refuse his care.
instead of living with and for God---we live for ourselves, or something else.
Jesus said this:
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
we often store up treasures on earth rather than heaven.
we are so busy living and trying to run our life—rather than surrendering to God and allow Him to run it.
and the Bible is honest—that because of that, we all deserve God’s perfect justice.
we deserve death.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
if we turn our backs on the author of Life—God—it only makes sense that we deserve death.
not just physical death--
but spiritual death—the Bible says without God we not only physically die, but spiritually will spend eternity away from him in hell.
not because God is a mean God or a spiteful God, but He has perfect justice and righteousness. and if we turn from God—who is life itself—we deserve death.
so really the reason that we are all here today at a funeral, the reason that death exists, is because sin exists. the wages of sin is death. death is a reminder that things are not right with us and God and the world.
and one day we will all stand before God when we die:
27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
and this takes me to another theme I notice in her life...
the 2nd theme I notice in Dixie’s life—is her faith and relationship with Jesus.
You look at her life, read her obituary - that she was a hard worker and accomplished much. Just hearing the stories and looking at her obituary, she was a driven person. who worked for a variety of organizations, corporations and volunteered, too. She was very successful. She had a diverse amount of experiences in public relations, marketing, and sales. She was artistic. she was a meticulous planner. very talented and high IQ.
but despite all that—I don’t believe her hope was in those things and accomplishments ultimately...
her hope rather was in Jesus Christ—Her faith in Jesus was a big part of her life. No, she was not perfect (just like none of us are) but she put her hope in Jesus.
and this is the good news of what the Bible says about life and death.
that even though we struggle with sin, and experience death—those things don’t have to have the last word.
that if we
A - admit we are sinners—admit we have messed up—admit we have offended God
B—believe that God made a way for us to be right with him by sending his Son Jesus Christ…fully God and fully man...
Jesus accomplished way more than any of us ever did—He never sinned
and He died the death you and I deserve on the cross for our sins
and He rose from the grave
if we admit
believe
confess—that Jesus Christ is our king
we will be saved
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Despite Dixie’s many accomplishments, her ultimate accomplishment was in trusting in Jesus alone to forgive her of her sins, to make her right with God, to guarantee that one day, she too would spend eternity with Jesus.
what Jesus accomplished in his life, death on the cross, and resurrection, guarantees that our sin problem can be taken care of today, so that our death problem will also be taken care of.
yes we physically still die, but upon death, b/c of Jesus—we go to be with Him. and one day will get a resurrection body.
and we don’t earn it—God did for us. It’s his incredible grace—no matter what you have done, no matter what you failed to do, you can be forgiven and accepted by God if you turn to Jesus Christ.
and that faith in Jesus—led to a transformed life.
it was her faith in Jesus that helped transform John’s life. She influenced John and her whole family to know and love God.
even in her last few years when she could not go out as much.
one of our staff members at First Missionary mentioned:
Dixie has been a prayer partner for the 3/4s preschool Sunday school class for at least the past 4 years, maybe longer.She had a distinct willingness to be behind the scenes in children’s ministry and I always felt encouraged in my interactions with her. They lent us supplies for Vacation Bible School.
I also had received a card from her this fall mentioning they enjoyed seeing the red Lifewise bus in the parking lot and going back and forth. She also mentioned that when I last saw her when their HOA had their meeting at the church earlier this fall – we talked for a bit and she mentioned LifeWise a few times, sounding very happy about that whole idea.
it was her faith in Jesus to begin planning her funeral and arrangements really the last 20 years as she had a pacemaker---as that forced her to reckon that death one day was coming—but death didn’t have the last word....Jesus did…as she is now in the loving embrace of the Father.
the last theme I notice in her life is family. she loved her husband, her sons, her grandchildren.
and this theme of family also applies spiritually. one of the beautiful promises of Scripture is that if we are also believers and followers of Jesus—we will not only see Jesus someday face to face—but fellow believers. We will be one big family around the throne of God worshipping him.
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
I want to give you a time to respond today...
and there are many ways to respond...
if you are not a believer, if you have not put your faith and hope and trust in Jesus, I extend an invitation to do so. Don’t store up treasure here on earth—but in heaven—allow Jesus to. and if you are open to this, please talk to me afterwards. I would love to talk further about this. it’s not complicated. admit you are a sinner. believe in Jesus—only He can really save you. surrender to Him as your king (not you). (I have some info for you)
if you are a believer, how might God call you to respond today? maybe it’s to trust in Him anew? rededicate your life to him?
we are going to play a song that the family requested called Oceans - by Hill song United. this is a song about how God calls us out to trust in Him—eve the unknown. It reminds us of that famous story in the Bible where Jesus walked on water---and Peter, one of his followers, did as well. He faithfully stepped out of the boat to follow Jesus—and as long as He kept his eyes on Jesus, he didn’t sink.
and this song challenges us if we are believers, are we stepping out in faith to go and do what God has called us to do. are trusting and resting in Jesus no matter where He leads us.
let’s listen.
Song: Oceans by Hillsong United (on the sound system)
Closing Prayer: Rick Schwartz
Committal at funeral home:
Committal Service for Dixie Mann
A few reminders:
1. We are reminded that Dixie is not here—her body is here—but when she died, when you and I die someday, we are immediately in the presence of God. 2 Corinthians mentions that to be away from the body is to be home with the Lord. This reminds us that her body is here—but her soul is now with Jesus.
2. even though today is hard for us, for Dixie it is better. why? The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:21
Philippians 1:21 NIV
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
a. and he goes on to say Philippians 1:23
Philippians 1:23 NIV
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
a. for the Christian, our death is gain because we get to be with Christ, experiencing him and his presence fully.
3. One day, Dixie and all believers will get a new resurrection body. a resurrection body like Jesus’ that won’t get sick, or decay, or age, or ever die again. and the reason we know this is because 1 Corinthians 15talks about this.
1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Christ is the firstfruits, that is a farming word—the first of the crops, meaning more is to come.
His path of resurrection is what all of us will experience if we know and surrender to Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 describes this resurrection body
1 Corinthians 15:42–44 NIV
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
we believe that we will get our new resurrection body when Jesus Christ returns, sets up his kingdom, and fully defeats all evil, sin, and death.
so today if you know Jesus, today is more of a see ya later to Dixie rather than a final goodbye.
4. All of us have a choice on how we will live our life now—is it going to be about us and our kingdom, or about Jesus and his kingdom. If we follow our own way—that leads to death, chaos, and destruction. lost in our sin. but if we surrender to Jesus and His way—it gives brings life, joy, peace, a relationship with God.
John 14:6NIV
6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 11:25–26NIV
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
let’s pray.