Ima's Funeral

Welcome

On behalf of the family, I would like to welcome you and thank you for joining us here for the funeral services of Ima Lambert. The family thanks you for your many expressions of love and concern for them.

With your permission I would like to begin by reading a passage of scripture and having a word of prayer.

Psalm 23 NASB95

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for today. We thank you for your love and care in our lives. We thank you for the time we had with Ima, and the memories we share. We pray for your peace and comfort to fill the lives of those who love her. We know my God and we take comfort that she is with you now, and we pray she will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

But Lord, it’s for those who are left behind we pray. We pray for strength, for courage and for understanding. It’s for those my God, that I pray you would fill their lives with your presence, and they would come to experience the grace of God through Jesus Christ for themselves. We pray these things in Jesus name, amen.

We are gathered together to honor Ima and to celebrate her life today. I want to share some of those details with you.

(Eulogy)

Ima Cleo Lambert born on July 11 1936, in Morgan County, Kentucky. Passed away peacefully on August 12th 2024 in Trenton, Michigan at the age of 88.

Ima dedicated 40 years of her life to Kroger, from where she retired with a legacy of hard work and commitment. She was a devoted volunteer for the Kentuckians of Michigan and a member of the Eagles Club of Flat Rock, where she made many lasting friendships.

Ima’s greatest joy was her family. She cherished every moment spent with them and was known for her love of gardening, both flowers and vegetables. She found peace in walking and mowing her grass, activities that kept her close to nature. Her appreciation for bluegrass music and her enduring independence were evident as she proudly drove her pickup truck well into her later years.

She was preceded in death by her beloved spouse, Asa Lambert, her parents John and Marjorie Bolin, two brothers and four sisters.

Ima leaves behind a loving family; her children Connie (Kieth) Turpin, and Audie (Lisa) Lambert, her grandchildren, Amy (Eric) Cronin, Brittany Lambert, Ryan (Blake Taylor) Lambert, Kaitlin Turpin (Brandon Puckett) and her great grandchildren, Kole and Ellie Nalbach. She is also survived by her sister Virginia Lambert, who will miss her dearly, along with many close friends and extended family members.

Ima Cleo Lambert will be remembered for her gracious spirit, her dedication to her community, and the love she had for her family. Her warmth and kindness touched many lives, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Those are just a few of the high lights of Ima’s life. You have so many memories of your own They are a blessing to you from God. Cherish them, treasure them, and use them to be a blessing to others.

At this time, I would like to read a passage of scripture to you. Read Psalm 46 it is a Psalm of peace.

1 God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and foam,

Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,

Who has wrought desolations in the earth.

9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

He burns the chariots with fire.

10 “Be still and know that I am God.

What the Psalmist wants us to know more than anything else is, no matter what you are going through, no matter what is going on in the world around you, you can turn to God and you can find peace and strength. He loves you and He is there for you through the good times and the bad. And He wants what is best for your life.

We are gathered together here today to celebrate the life that Ima lived and to comfort one another in our grief. To do that, there are three important things we need to remember.

We need to remember the loved one we have lost.

Ima is worthy to be honored. She was a daughter, and a sister who became a wife and a mother. She was a grandmother and one of the last things spoken to her before she died was by her granddaughter Amy, who told her she was the best grandmother ever.

Ima was a great grandmother and a dear friend to many. She was loved and she will be missed. She lived a wonderful life and deserves to be admired.

When I asked Connie and Audie what they will remember the most about their mom, they both shared different stories. Connie talked about laughing with her mom and having inappropriate conversations. Audie spoke of helping his mom around the house after his dad passed away.

But both of them came back to this one thing; Ima was humble. She was willing to help anyone who was in need. She always insisted on paying her own way, and she genuinely tried to take care of the people around her. She will be remembered for her humility.

Ima’s death reminds us of just how fragile we are because she died so suddenly. This was one of the strongest women I have ever known. If you grew up in Taylor you watched her walking Van Born road to Telegraph and back everyday. She told me once she walked three to five miles everyday for most of her life.

She was a strong women. On the day she collapsed and went into the hospital she had prepared 60 pounds of beans from her own garden and carried it to the Kentucky picnic. She loved life and enjoyed what she was doing.

Ima had a big heart and she loved a great deal. After Asa passed a few years ago she was never quite the same. She missed her husband greatly, just recently choosing a headstone that would serve as a marker for both their graves.

Ima’s death should serve as a reminder to us all that no matter how strong and healthy you think you are all of us are weak fragile people who will one day face death.

So, today we are gathered to remember Ima and the life she lived and the love she gave. But we are also here to remember each other.

Unfortunately, we live in a busy world. We all have families and priorities, and we don’t spend enough time together.

For many of us the only time we come together is during situations like this. And we need to take the time to encourage each other and share the memories of Ima we have.

This is a time to set aside our differences, and let go of the past. We have all made mistakes but, this is a time to rally together and love one another properly.

After today the gravity of life will begin to pull us a part again and we need to remember those who are still hurting and having a difficult time, and we need to reach out to them and encourage them with love and compassion.

Ima’s death should remind us that life is short and we need to make the most of it. We do that by loving each other properly.

Remember there will come a day in each one of our lives when we will lose a father, mother, brother, or sister, and today we are reminded of what is truly important in life, our family.

There is coming a day when each one of us will lay our head down to a dying pillow and I can promise you, you are not going to care about the houses you own, or the job you work, or the education you have achieved. The only thing that will be important in that moment is that you are surrounded by the people you love and that loved you.

Ima had that when she passed. She was surrounded by her family that loved her.

So today, we remember Ima and the life she lived and we remember each other and the memories we share.

The third thing we need to remember is Jesus is Lord.

Philippians 2:9–11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and gave Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Jesus is Lord because He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one time sacrifice for your sin and mine and His sacrifice was so great that there will never be a need for another one.

The greatest misconception in the world is that you need to get your life together and clean up your act, before you can come to God. Listen if you could get your life together and clean up your act you wouldn’t need Jesus.

He came to do for you what you could not do for yourself. Consider the thief on the cross. He didn’t have time to get his life together. All he could do was call out to the Lord and say remember me when you come into your kingdom and that was enough.

It has been 2000 years now since the cross and His ability to save is just as powerful today as it has ever been. The testimony of a countless numbers of Christians all over the world are proof of that.

Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

God has a purpose and a plan for your life. There is something He wants to accomplish in you and through you, something that only you can accomplish. And finding God’s purpose for your life is what gives us true peace and joy.

So, many people are living in misery because they are living for their own purpose in life.

The bible says, “what does it prophet a man to gain the world but to lose his soul?” and the answer is nothing.

You can have everything this world has to offer and you will die with nothing because everything in the world is temporary.

But Jesus Christ offers us life. He offers us an eternity with God in heaven that changes everything. You begin to live for something more, something bigger than yourself.

All of us will pass away one day, and we will stand before God. The question is will you stand there based on what you have done with your life, or will you stand before Him based on what Jesus has done for you.

Do you know Him today? Is He your Lord and Savior? If not, I want to urge you don’t wait, don’t put it off. No one is promised tomorrow, but Jesus promises us peace in our heart, purpose in life, and eternity in heaven.

Let’s pray

Father God, we thank you for today. We thank you for Ima and the life she lived. For the love she shared and the memories we have.

I pray that those memories will live in our hearts and in our minds forever. In Jesus name, amen.