Tracy Grant Funeral

Remembrance

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

Today is a time to remember. Today we take a moment and remember the life of Tracy Lynn Grant.

Tracy passed away September 17, 2026. Tracy was of Christian faith and attended Westminster Presbyterian Church . Tracy was a strong advocate of education as she graduated from Columbus North High School and received her Masters Degree from The Ohio State University in Education. She taught Kindergarten and first grade in Columbus City schools for 30 years; And even once retired she enjoyed tutoring children as she helped them learn to read.

Tracy was an introvert and enjoyed peaceful hobbies like reading, playing free cell, mahjong and word puzzles. She loved a good mystery whether it was reading Mary Higgins Clark or watching True Crime documentaries on TV. Anthony told me she watched so many that he was convinced someone was gonna break into the house, and he would be left to solve the crime. Tracy also loved Christmas! She did not believe that Christmas music needed to wait until after Thanksgiving and would play it as early as October. She also loved Emet Otters Jug Band Christmas a Jim Henson film. The family joked about not liking the film, but I bet you give it a watch this Christmas.

I asked Aubrey and Anthony about their mom and they told me about her patience and her kindness toward them. They explained even when they were in trouble that Tracy would help them see the problem with their behavior without making them feel like they were the problem. Tracy deeply cared about people as evidenced in her years teaching children. She was a very hard worker throughout her life. When school was difficult to pay for, she worked two jobs to pay for it, and later a recieved as Master’s degree while teaching full time and mothering her two children. When I asked Steve about his wife, he told me just couldn’t believe he got her to marry him. And after seeing their wedding pictures… Steve, we all agree. She was way out of your league.

Tracy was preceded in death by her mother Nancy Lee, grandparents Buzz and Norma Burwell, and is survived by her father Duane Wintermute, loving husband of 37 years, Steven Grant, her children Anthony and his wife Elizabeth Grant and Aubrey Grant, her sisters Connie Sue and her husband Jim Hicks and Debbie Nesbitt, as well as many loving relatives and friends.

Tracy will be greatly missed.

At this time Steve Grant wold like to say a few words….

Introduction

Good afternoon, I want to take the next fifteen minutes and speak a word about suffering from 2 Corinthians 4:16-2 Corinthians 5:10. This portion of Scripture comes from a letter written by the apostle Paul to a group of Christians in the city of Corinth. This is a real letter written by a real man, to real people, about the glories of a real God. He writes to people like you, people who are suffering. And begins the letter with these words, 2 Corinthians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”

It is my goal to offer comfort to you who mourn and suffer the loss of Mrs. Tracy Grant. I want tell you of the God who is the Father of Mercies, the God of all comfort. I hope to comfort you by helping you understand three truths about suffering. I want to help you understand and process your suffering by reminding you that suffering is useful, suffering is temporary, and suffering is sobering. If you will just give me the next few minutes of your attention, I believe you will find hope and help from the Word of God. I believe you can make sense of your pain. You see the first truth we need to see is just that, suffering has a purpose, it is useful.

Suffering is Useful v. 16-18

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Paul calls our suffering, light and momentary afflictions. We get to the momentary part in just a second, but perhaps you are thinking, how can God call my suffering light? This pain I feel is anything but light, and I would agree with you. God would agree with you. God is not calling you suffering light, but rather it is light in comparison to God’s eternal weight of glory which he prepares for us in heaven. You see, whether something is heavy is or light is dependent upon what we compare it to.

I recently had a friend who had a baby that weighed 10 and half pounds. That is a heavy baby! However, 10 and half pounds is a very light packed suitcase, a very normal sized bowling ball. Whether something is heavy or light is all about comparison. And God is saying, even though your pain is deep and your sorrow overwhelming, if you compare it to glory and joy of heaven, it is light. God’s promises of heaven will far outweigh the sorrows of this world. And God using your pain to prepare you for that future glory. He uses pain and suffering to prepare us an eternal weight of glory!

Suffering is used to renew us day by day. It is like a flame that purifies silver or gold. The fire burns away the impurities in the metal and leaves only what is pure. Suffering is used by God to burn away your internal impurities, until all that is left is that which brings glory and honor to Christ. Suffering is never meaningless. It always serves a purpose.

Therefore, it this moment of suffering don’t look to the things of this world that are seen, rather look to the unseen realities of heaven. The things of this world are transient, they are here today and gone tomorrow, but dear friends. The things of God, will be here for all eternity. Heaven awaits those who place their faith in Christ. Heavens joys will far outweigh our earthly sorrows. Heavens joys are eternal, they will last forever, but earths sorrows are temporary.

This pain you feel now, it a temporary pain. It will not last forever.

Suffering is Temporary v. 1-5

2 Corinthians 5:1–5 “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

Paul refers to our earthly bodies as a tent. A temporary dwelling and speaks of eternal buildings being prepared by God. He is explaining the reality that one day those who are in Christ will have glorified and resurrected bodies. Bodies that will never fade or die. Bodies that will never bear under the weight of dementia, cancer, or any other earthly ailment.

However, we are not in those bodies yet. Tracy was not in that body while she was here with us. We are in earthly tents, right now. And these bodies groan under the weight of sin and suffering. These bodies grow weary, they fall, they breakdown, they get sore, they get fat, they get wrinkled, they get dementia, and they will die. They die because they are temporary dwellings, just tents. And while we are in them, we suffer. We grown and we long to be free from them. But we do not long to cast off these earthly bodies just to be found naked, or without a body. But we long to put off our old bodies so that we might be furthered clothed. We suffer and long for it all to be over. Because this suffering is temporary. It will not last forever.

Christians have in their possession the unique truth that this life is not the end. Our souls are not subject to death. They do not die, with our physical bodies, but rather they are swallowed up into life! We will be given new eternal and glorified bodies at the second coming of Christ. These old tents, are not the end for us! This pain will not last forever. But our joy will last forever.

We can know this because God himself has prepared this very thing for us, and He has given us his Spirit as a guarantee. Tracy, does not enjoy the joys of heaven because of her merit. Yes, she was faithful wife, a loving mother, a civil servant as she taught children. But these things did not save her, these are not the reasons she was swallowed up into life. Rather, she was swallowed up into life because of the work God has done. He prepared the way for her, as he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross in her place. He died for her sin and rose from the dead. And Tracy was found in Christ not because of her good works, but because of the finished work of Christ when he rose from the dead. Her faith in Christ saved her from hell, and it produced in her the good works which God prepared for her to walk in. She was good, because Christ was in her. She believed in Jesus, so she will be able to enjoy the promises of God for all eternity.

She is at home with the Lord right now today, no longer groaning under the weight of dementia. Her suffering was always temporary, but her joy will be eternal. Tracy’s eternal fate is secure. But what about yours? Suffering is sobering.

Suffering is Sobering v. 6-10

2 Corinthians 5:6–10 “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

Suffering is temporary, because this world is temporary. Funerals, especially Christian funerals, are meant to make us consider death. Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” We are meant to remember that we are going to die. Dear friend, one day it will be your funeral. Someone will stand up and say words of remembrance about you, they will talk bout your religious commitments, they will talk about your deeds here on earth. As we gather and suffer, the death of a wife, mother, sister, neighbor and friend we must number our own days. We must remember that we too will die.

If you are Christian then I pray my message comforts you. I pray you are reminded that God uses suffering to prepare us for heaven, I pray you are reminded that suffering will have an end, and I pray that you are sobered up by the death of a loved one. I pray that you would choose to live your life and make it your aim to please God. Prepare yourself for heaven. Heaven is a place where you will live for the glory of God for all eternity. So practice for it now. And find this truth. A life lived to please God is a full and joyous life. When we live to please God we live for the sake of others. We live as Tracy lived. She lived for her husband, her kids, and her students. She was a servant of these she loved, because she was a servant of Christ. She was imperfect like us all, but she made it her aim to please God.

If you are not a Christian, maybe you are not living your life for the glory of God. Remember what I said at the very begining. God is the Father of all mercies. And right now, he cries out to you in mercy through his word. He is telling you that today is the day of salvation. He is telling you to sober up, to wake up to truth. Everyone will stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Everyone will give an account for what they have done, whether good or evil . When that day comes for you, will you be ready?

If you know you are not ready, I leave you with these words, they might be the most famous words from the Bible, but don’t let that take away from their beauty. In John 3:16 read ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Conclusion

If you long for the comfort of God in your suffering, then come to God by turning from your evil deeds placing your faith in Jesus alone to save you. Give your life to Christ today. You are never too far gone. He is the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort. He will meet you where you are. Give your life to Christ today. I will stick around after today’s service. If you have more questions I am here to help you. Let suffering have its full affect. Allow it to be useful, allow it to sober you up to the truth of your mortality. And know that it is temporary and God promises a eternal weight of glory for those who in Christ Jesus. (Pray)