Mary Frank Memorial Service

Welcome/Opening Prayer

I am thankful to each one of you for coming here and joining together as family and friends to remember Mary Frank. We’ve all been blessed to have known her and to be loved by her. Mary was a very gentle, loving woman who humbly and quietly served the Lord. She had a great deal of influence during her earthly life. So today…we’ll celebrate and honor this woman who gained so much when she passed thru eternity’s doorway on 31st of March.

Following the service here, we will proceed up the hill to the cemetery for a graveside service. You’re all invited to return back here where we will have a time of fellowship in the community room. I hope you’ll be able to stay and share your memories of Mary with one another at that time. Bow with me as we open our service in prayer:

PRAY

Almighty God, You are the only God and we bow our hearts because you are the great and faithful God. We thank you for the blessing of life knowing that You are the giver of life to all, and there is no life apart from that which you have imparted. I want thank you for this time that we have to come together, even though it is a time of sadness, sorrow, a time to grieve…but it is also a time to have joy b/c of the life you gave Mary—not just her physical life…but you made her to be a new creation—gave to her the life of Christ so that in her death she is now with you. That brings us an unparalleled joy for which we give thanks.

And we also thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ since He abolished death on the cross and has brought life and immortality to light, so that in our frailty we might learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Father, I would ask you to pour out your peace and divine comfort on these friends so that in their grief they would turn to you for strength and find rest for their souls. Please direct our time of sharing today, be honored by it as we commit it to you in Jesus name, Amen.

Reading Obituary

Mary Ellen Frank, 86 of Hamilton passed away Monday, March 31, 2025 at Providence Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington.

Mary was born in Grantsdale, on March 4th 1939. She is survived by her husband Jack and her three sons; Rich (Linda), Willie (Stephanie) and JM Foley; step-sons Gary (Elaine) and Douglas (Donna) Frank and numerous grandchildren.

Mary grew up in Seattle, and when visiting her brother Ed Shivel in the Hamilton area met Bill Foley who Ed was friends with. She moved back to Montana and they fell in love and got married and started a family. She lived on the Ranch with husband Bill and her sons. She loved being on the ranch and being around the cattle and horses. Mary became a true Montana cowgirl.

After her kids graduated High School, She decided to attend Missoula Vocational College and got her cosmetology license which enabled her to became a beautician. This had been something she  wanted to try doing for sometime. After a few years of doing this she decided that it wasn't really for her.  She really wanted a fresh start and after over 30 years of marriage she separated from Bill.

Mary then moved to the Spokane area to be close to the family she had there. She loved being around all her sons and their families very much and there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for them, and tried to help them anyway she could. She stayed in this area till she moved back to Hamilton.

After a few years went by she then met her new husband Jack Frank, which she met through the church and after two years of their on and off romance they got married in 2015.

Now, I met Jack probably about 15 years ago. And it wasn’t too long after that I kept hearing about his special friend Mary. We had lunch together after church one Sunday at the Frontier Cafe in Stevi—just had a very pleasant time together. In May 2013 I was preaching on a subject that has differing opinions between Christians—spiritual gifts. Mary didn’t agree with what I was teaching and she told Jack— “I don’t want to go there (to CCC).” It didn’t take her long to come to the perspective that believers in Jesus can disagree and still have fellowship with one another. In 2 years, it would become my distinct privilege to officiate at Mary & Jack’s wedding. That day—May 8, 2015 at 4 pm at CCC is a time I will treasure for all my life. I’ve only married 1 other couple who remarried later in life. It is a real blessing to everyone to have the example of couples (like Jack & Mary) who hold marriage to be sacred. I know their marriage honored LJC and blessed the church.

So our fellowship increased (even though we didn’t agree 100%) —one other treasured moment…my wife, daughter and I were going on an Alaskan cruise in 2022. It was literally 3-4 days before we left that I found out Jack & Mary were going to be on the same ship. That was an extra blessing of an already joyful time—to have a few meals together and to see each around the ship. I don’t know if she enjoyed the cruise as much as we did but I’ll tell you—our fellowship was greatly enriched by that time together.

I know we all miss Mary…but where she it (this is not a cliche) very much better:

Scripture Reading

1 Corinthians 15:50–58 NASB95

50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Congregation Singing

Amazing Grace

1 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

3 Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath bro’t me safe this far, And grace will lead me home.

4 When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

1. Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father; There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness, Great is thy faithfulness, Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hast provided; Great is thy faithfulness,  Lord unto me.

2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. [Refrain]

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside. [Refrain]

Message

A pastor once told this account:

There is a preacher of the old school but he speaks as boldly as ever. He is not popular, though the world is his parish and he travels every part of the globe and speaks in every language. He visits the poor, calls upon the rich, preaches to people of every religion and no religion, and the subject of his sermon is always the same. He is an eloquent preacher, often stirring feelings which no other preacher could, and bringing tears to eyes that never weep. His arguments none are able to refute, nor is there any heart that has remained unmoved by the force of this appeals. He shatters life with his message. Most people hate him; everyone fears him. His name? Death. Every tombstone is his pulpit, every newspaper prints his text, and someday every one of you will be his sermon.

The past several months have been difficult for Mary. Back in November, she learned of the lymphoma. And I can tell you from experience, you hear that word cancer and the world seems to close in around you. You begin to seek solutions from the medical community. There are multiple doctor visits. Sometimes the treatments are effective. Other times they are not. That becomes your focus. And many times all you can do is live moment by moment.

I can also tell you that Mary’s perspective back in Nov. (and Jack can confirm this) that she recognized that this might be the way the Lord would bring her to Himself. Of course, no one else really wants to think like this—we all want our loved ones to stay around us as long as possible. This is natural, the normal affection that family and friends have for each other. And while Mary was ready to be with her Savior…she thought like this b/c she knew what Paul was saying in Philippians:

Philippians 1:21–23 NASB95

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;

The Apostle is making 2 affirmations in that statement: To live is Christ, to die is gain.

What he meant by this is that if he continued to live on this earth—he would do so for glory of JC. Jesus is the purpose of our lives, the joy of our hearts, the strength of our souls. This life, whether it be trials or triumph, sorrows or joys—Jesus would be the center of all we do. Our lives do not belong to us but to Him who purchased us when He shed His own blood. To live is Christ.

The 2nd affirmation is much more difficult—to die is gain. How can death (this dreaded enemy)—be gain? To the world, death is the worst possible loss. It is the end of all earthly hopes and dreams. If you are here today and you haven’t put your trust in LJC for the forgiveness of your sins and for salvation, then this is your best life now. You cannot say “to die is gain” b/c what waits for you in death is condemnation and suffering for eternity in hell. For the unbeliever to die is loss—horrible, unimaginable, heartbreaking loss.

For Mary though—b/c she trusted in the LJC and He saved her from sin, judgment, from eternal loss—for Mary “to die is gain.” This is what happens to every believer. They are delivered from everlasting judgment in hell. They are saved from God’s wrath that justly falls on every sinner. The believer (i.e. Mary) holds to majestic promise of God:

Romans 8:1 NASB95

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

To die is gain. That word means to win something, to gain an advantage. And in every way, that is what happens to every believer upon death. Dying will only mean to win the great advantage that has been prepared by God for those who believe on the LJC.

Now, in the same passage Paul readily acknowledged “I do not know which to choose.” He says “I am hard pressed” (term lit to hold together). Paul was being squeezed in by both strong desires. If he were to live on in the flesh, he would continue to serve Christ and the church and it would be fruitful. But to depart (Paul’s way of saying “to die”) and to be with Christ is “very much better.” (doubly intensified word—preferable, being higher in status, more prominent, more advantageous).

Mary had a good life. For the last 10 years, and even before, but after she and Jack married there were so many blessings that she enjoyed. Life was good. And this may be you. God has so blessed and enriched your life, has opened doors for serving JC and the church and that service is bearing much fruit—and the result is that you thoroughly rejoice in this life. There is nothing wrong with that.

Psalm 128:1 NASB95

1 How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.

So many of God’s people are richly blessed—but to die is gain. I want to spend a few moments looking at 3 advantages that death has for the believer (and you can apply these to Mary—and I know it will comfort your heart and bring joy to you).

1. Freedom From Evil

There are many people who pursue pleasure as their ultimate goal, or maybe its money, fame, power, or any number of vices. But those who have tasted the kindness of the Lord, and know about the righteousness of JC, they long for the purity—the freedom from evil that only comes from being in His presence. For then, he is free from evil, sin, corruption, unrighteousness, and injustice that ultimately only death will deliver him from.

Romans 8:23 NASB95

23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

There are all sorts of evil in our world. Natural evils (living in a world cursed by sin), things that cause hardship in life (drought, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, disease, sickness—cancer). There are personal evils that dominate the human race…these are horrible reminders that every person is by nature a sinner and together we contribute thru our personal sins. Sinners who are trying to survive in a fallen world…colliding with each other, family disputes and conflicts that escalate into wars and extreme violence, there are attacks against one another. These are evils that are all too familiar to us.

But for the believer—to die is gain and that means to be taken away from evil.

Isaiah 57:1–2 NASB95

1 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, 2 He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.

Too often death seems like the ultimate defeat. But for the Xn—the one who loves LJC “it is better to depart and be with Christ for that is very much better.” At death, the believer is taken from evil. That was Mary’s hope. She knew the promise of God—that those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That’s why she was humbly submissive to God’s plan b/c she knew in the end she would be taken away from all the evil in this fallen world—that suffering and pain would end. She patiently trusted the Lord for this.

2. Conformity to Christ

2nd advantage:

1 John 3:2 NASB95

2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB95

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Every Xn is in the process of becoming more like Jesus. This is slow and progressive. It is one thing to be freed from a world of evil and sin. But to be completely set free from personal sin, the sin which indwells every believing heart—this is when you will find perfection, sanctification and glory—b/c you become just like Jesus.

Mary’s entrance into eternity meant that she has been made like Christ—in righteousness (sinless perfection) and glory. Now, Mary was a very gentle, loving, caring wife & mother. Visiting with Jack and Rich they both told me that she would carry out her responsibilities and never complained. She carefully followed the Bible’s teaching:

Philippians 2:3–4 NASB95

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Those of you greatly depended on Mary for so many things…this makes you so thankful that she was a faithful mother, grandmother and wife. But what’s even better—Mary had been made perfect…she lacks nothing, she needs nothing, she wants nothing—b/c she is like Jesus and shares His glory.

To die is gain—immeasurable, innumerable advantages for her.

3. Being With Jesus

While the Xn is living on the earth, we have so many promises that the Lord is with us, that He cares for us, guides us, directs our steps—everyone who has trusted the Lord knows this.

Hebrews 13:5 NASB95

“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

Mary was always so thankful that God was with her and she could depend on Him in difficult circumstances.

Isaiah 43:2 NASB95

2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

As much as the Xn depends on the presence of LJC in this life…the die is gain and to depart and be with Christ is very much better b/c to be absent from the body (having gone thru the physical moment of death—separation of body from spirit) is to “be at home with the Lord.”

This is why:

Psalm 116:15 NASB95

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones.

Without any doubt this is the one thing that makes heaven, heaven—the presence of our Lord. Without Him, heaven wouldn’t be what it is. You can sit here, zealously looking to heaven, awaiting the gain that you will find there. And Mary already has a head start. But for death to be “gain” for anyone, you must believe on LJC. And I know many of you do, if you don’t believe in Jesus or you’re not sure—turn to Jesus. Repent (confess your sins) and believe (that Jesus died for your sins—taking the judgment and wrath of God your sin demands upon Himself) and you will find Christ to be your life (to live is Christ) and when your earthly life comes to an end—you too will find the great advantage of being with Christ. And then we’ll love, adore, praise, worship, honor and give glory to the One who gave Himself for us and who took our place at the cross—so that we could be with Him forever, fully forgiven, acceptable to the Father b/c of the work of His Son. Believe today!

This was Mary’s hope. The Bible says that hope does not disappoint. It does not disappoint b/c God is totally trustworthy so dependable. Mary trusted God and she lived it. I think this is one reason why she was not anxious about these past 5 months. One of her all time favorite passages is in Philippians

Philippians 4:6–7 NASB95

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

That peace guarded Mary’s heart and mind as she began the journey into the presence of JC. That peace belongs to all who put their trust in Him.

Congregation Singing

It Is Well

1 When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like the sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well with my soul.’ 3 My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious tho’t!— My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4 And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll, The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, ‘Even so,’ it is well with my soul.

Prayer

Thank you Father for our time together. We are grateful for our memories of Mary. Once again, comfort the sorrow and heal the broken hearts of those who have loved her while she was with us. May your love and grace help each one here to learn to abide with the changes and the losses of this mortal life and that we all might live in hope of the everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord—we ask this in His name, amen.

Graveside Service

We have come to the place and to the time to commit Mary’s body to the ground. For her, this is not the end.

This body once belonged to Mary but this is no longer Mary. The Apostle Paul reminds us that this is only the earthly tent and outward dwelling. For in those hours on that Monday evening Mary was escorted by angels into the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

But we do come here for a purpose—to lay aside the earthly tent while knowing that there will be a permanent dwelling—“a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 5:1).

1 Corinthians 15:42–49 NASB95

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 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. 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

There is a contrast in these verses show how glorified bodies of God’s people will be different from their earthly bodies:

1) Free from sickness and death

2) Free from shame b/c of sin

3) Free from frailty in temptation

4) Free from limits of time/space

In light of these promises God has given to us in His Word and as much as it has pleased the Lord in His sovereign wisdom and purpose to take from our midst one whom we have loved, we now commit the body of Mary to its final resting place in order to await the fulfillment of another promise from the Word of God:

John 5:28–29 NASB95

28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Our Lord God, you are mercifully compassionate. As the one who alone can heal the broken heart, give each one here the peace and comfort of your loving care so that with patience and trust in you, we all will learn that to live is Christ and to die is gain. This is our blessed hope. Please extend your sustaining grace that even now we might live in hope of life everlasting. We ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Numbers 6:24–26 NASB95

24 The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’