John Traser - 8/20/24

We are here to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of John Traser. He would have been 91 years old on Sunday.

To gain some perspective on this occasion, hear these words from 2 Corinthians chapter 5,

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.

The message of the Bible is this: for those who put their hope and confidence in Christ, this life is not all there is and this life is not the BEST life.

Let’s pray together,

Our Father, as prepared as we are to lose those whom we love, we are never fully prepared to do so. The sense of loss can overwhelm us. Today we ask You to comfort us and remind us of the confidence we should have of life beyond the grave. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

John Traser was an energetic, talented guy. He was also one of the nicest men you could ever meet. John grew up without a dad and with three siblings all in the mid-late 30’s which was the thick of the Great Depression.

John served our country in the Navy. He worked at the Ordinance Plant went back to school, and then worked for the Sullivan’s TV and Appliance Store. He could fix anything that was electrical. He finally went to work for WIU where he worked as an electrician from 1967-1994 when he retired at 60 years old. His job at the university was to take care of the fire alarms and clocks in the dorms. He often got called out at various times in the night.

John (and Donna) were hard-working people. They would be on the go from 5:00 a.m until Midnight. They both drank gallons of coffee and smoked quite a bit. In his “spare time” he sold real estate and owned and operated the Triangle Car Wash and Laundromat in La Harpe. He also served on the volunteer fire department and was part of the Masonic lodge.

John loved his wife and family (and his pets!) He liked being busy. He loved to fish, play Poker, tinker in his workshop and do home repair. John also loved to camp and travel with Donna. He was into motorcycles for a while and would sometimes get a “motorcycle in a box” (A bike taken apart that they could not put back together) and put the ride back together again. In later years John got around town on either his moped, which he rode until he was 89 (I’d see him often at the Post Office) or his golf cart.

One of my favorite memories with John was a day we sat outside the front of the church parsonage in the golf cart and visited for a long time until he finally said, “Donna was napping when I left and I had better get back so she doesn’t wake up and worry about me.

When I used to golf, I would always see John and Donna at some time on the golf course. We would always stop and visit on one of the holes.

John loved and cherished his wife. He took good care of her in the later years. John and Donna loved their trips to Florida. They would take all of John’s vacation and use it for a trip to the Florida Keys. Over 27 years they only missed going to Florida twice.

They built their own house. They were hands on as the house was built. They played cards with their “club”

that met every week to play poker. No one was a more aggressive competitor in everything than Donna but that was wonderfully balanced by John who just was having a good time indifferent to who “did better” than whom. I suspect there were times Donna got irritated that John just didn’t take things seriously enough.

John even enjoyed moving the lawn . . . and often his neighbors’ lawns as well.

He had a quick wit, and I always enjoyed his laugh. John was one of the most gracious men you would ever meet. When he and Donna felt they needed to move to the Bickford John made sure he had a drawer filled with Werther’s hard candy and the mini tootsie rolls. He offered candy to anyone who did anything nice for them. If you want a real- life picture of what a person of character and grace looks like, it would be John Traser.

As his family, I know you know how privileged you were to have him as you dad and grandfather. I want you to know, you weren’t the only ones to hold him in such high regard.

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John was a follower of Jesus Christ. That fact tempers the pain of this day immensely. Being in the church was important to him. I believe he knew that no one can get to Heaven by being good because God defines good differently than we do. As the saying goes, “even the best of men are only men at best.” I know he heard these words while he was worshipping at the Union Church

We all rebel against God and want to run our own lives. We all tend to look at the Law of God as something which we prefer to use for our own purposes. We obey when it suits us. Such behavior makes us sinful.

God does not grade on a curve! He doesn’t rank goodness the way we do. It’s black and white: you either trust Him to save you through the death of Jesus or you don’t. You either believe the testimony about the actual resurrection of Jesus, or you don’t. These are the things that determine our eternal destiny. I believe John had this kind of belief.

I believe John has already heard the words: “Well Done my good and faithful servant.” John showed his faith in every encounter and to each individual he met. The love of Christ was in him.

The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible tells us that it is better to go to a funeral than a party. The reason is: at a party we just mindlessly have fun. Whereas a funeral is a place where we do well to reflect on the shortness of life and the reality of judgement. A funeral reminds us to hold our loved ones tightly. The funeral pushes us to express our love and consider that which is eternal.

This is the time for us to make things right with God by seeking His forgiveness and turning to Christ as our Savior. This is the time to make sure that we are ready to meet the Lord face to face.

If you look at John’s life, perhaps you can see some other lessons,

1. Hard work is good for you and helps you be self-sufficient.

2. Kindness is welcomed anywhere.

3. Sleep is (according to John and Donna), overrated.

4. Non-competitive people are never mad because they didn’t win the game.

5. A person who can work with their hands is a person of rich talent.

6. Diversification of income sources is a good idea.

7. If you are going to go on vacation, then fully commit to the idea.

8. The promise to love in sickness and in health is one you need to take seriously.

Let’s pray together,

Lord, we commit John’s body now to You even as you welcome his soul into the place that you have prepared for him.

Help us in this time of grief. Comfort our saddened hearts and help us to remember the many ways we were blessed through John’s life.

Strengthen our faith and our hope. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen