Cheryl Hylton Funeral

Cheryl May (Dean) Hylton, born August 15, 1945, in Higbee, MO, to Henry and Helen Dean, entered her heavenly reward in the presence of her Lord and Savior July 14, 2019, at home in Kansas City, MO, at the age of 73 years, 10 months, 29 days after a courageous battle with cancer.

During her early childhood, her mom would remarry. That man, Elmo Smith, became the one Cheryl would know and love as Dad. Another significant life event took place during her early years…I will get back to that in a moment.

When it came to school, Cheryl enjoyed learning, but not always class. She attended Northeast High School. While she didn’t graduate from high school, she did get her GED. She took college classes in accounting…but quickly moved to working as an accountant. She worked a few part-time jobs, but her career was 38 years working as an accountant with Shouse & Co., CPAs here in Kansas City.

Cheryl married young and was blessed with a son, Ronald. Sadly, the relationship with her first husband was not good and did not last. However, in 1982 Cheryl married the love of her life, Jimmy Hylton, at Tower View Baptist Church on July 17, 1982. She has been blessed with the addition to her life of more family: of children: Teresa, Richard, and Aaron…and nearly 37 years together with Jimmy as husband and wife. She has loved her family, through it all…including the ups and downs.

As Jimmy mentioned to me recently, he and Cheryl had two (probably not just two, but let me at least highlight these) special components in their relationship. One, they were born to “aggravate” each other—give each other a hard time. Anyone who has been around Cheryl long enough knows she enjoyed the give-and-take of teasing and messing with people. In recent days, while Jimmy was helping her or something, she ‘punched’ him for no reason…then smiled. I know a coupe times she would say something to me, I came back with a smart remark, and she gave me the look and got ready to ‘fight’…it was hard to know weather to laugh—or run!. One time when she and Rhonda were working in the Fellowship Hall, my wife went into the closet over the stairwell for something without turning on the light…Cheryl shut the door and just laughed and laughed. Needless to say, she was a feisty one—who enjoyed having fun like this, and so many ways.

The second significant component of Cheryl, and Jimmy’s, life relates to what I alluded to earlier. You see, when Cheryl was six years old, she came to the understanding that what God has revealed through the words of Scripture is true—God has created everything, especially people…and we have been created for a relationship with Him. BUT, when sin entered the world, we have forever been separated from having a relationship with Him…EXCEPT, that He made a way—in that Jesus, the one and only Son of God (fully God and fully man), was born and lived a sinless life and died on the cross (taking our place as the Lamb of God) taking away our sin and rising again three days later as the only One who can save us by forgiving our sin and bringing us into a relationship with God—Father, Son, & Holy Spirit—when we repent and put our faith in Him…AND that is exactly what Cheryl did in 1951 at the age of six. Because Cheryl was/is a Christ-follower (a Christian)…and she and Jimmy talked about this…her/their goal, especially evident to me when they connected their lives with our Claycomo Baptist Church family about 10 to 11 years ago, has been to serve/help/& care for others. She has been, as so many of her family and this church family here have testified, a shining example of living the biblical call to “love one another, care for one another, lift one another up.” She has done this here, as well as at TVBC, by serving her brothers and sisters in Christ through leading small group Bible studies, Sunday School class, our Fellowship Team, and keeping up the outside flower beds as well as inside floral arrangements at events and within our auditorium here (additional comments).

Cheryl enjoyed many things....most important of which involved people: family get togethers (like camping at Roaring River [where I hear trout fishing happens] & especially the 4th of July at home); church events (organizing, decorating, and serving fellowship dinners, Thanksgiving Dinner, and family bereavement meals); coordinating weddings for church family and family. Additionally, hobbies like gardening (veggies & flowers…she loved getting in the dirt!), painting (at one point), and reading…oh, and again “aggravating,” were just some of the ways she enjoyed the life God gave her.

Well, family and church family alike have described this wonderful lady as exuberant, sweet, humble, caring, loyal, dedicated, feisty, hard-working, hard-headed…summed up best as “a genuinely caring and giving person.” Knowing her has been and will continue to be a wonderful blessing.

Cheryl has been preceded in death by her father, Henry; her mother and dad, Helen & Elmo Smith. Her memory and legacy continue through those by whom she is survived, including: her husband: Jimmy; her children: Ronald Stawicki (and wife, Narissa), Teresa Reuscher (and husband Kevin), Richard Hylton (and wife Denise), and Aaron Hylton; her grandchildren: Avery, Sierra, Seth, Aubrey, Chance, Tristan, Dakota, Ashley, Jordan, Shelby, and Landon; her great grandson: Colt; her niece and kids (more like daughter and grandkids): Rachel Valenti and her kids Zach, Kylia, and Dom; her brother: Jerry Jones (and wife Carol); her Claycomo Baptist Church family; many other brothers and sisters in Christ; as well as numerous extended family and friends.

Song: “No More Night” – David Phelps [CD, or iTunes]

Eulogies [Jimmy, Rhonda, reading notes from Ron or Aaron...]

Proverbs 31:29–30 CSB

“Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

Song: “My Child is Coming Home” – David Phelps [CD, or AppleMusic]

Message [Scott]

Micah 6:8 CSB

Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6.8

When it comes to serving a family at a time like this, I am always thankful for the opportunity to take the time to share in the memories of the relationship the family and the rest of us have had with our loved one who has been called home. Those memories which will bring with them the laughter and the tears are priceless treasure to continually be cherished. Keep sharing those.

I am also thankful to be able to take some time to share with the family especially…and all of us really…the unshakable foundation of hope, peace, and strength that we have in God’s word. I want to connect a few of these Scriptures together for us today.

First, the picture of a life lived to the glory of God...

Micah 6:8 CSB

Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

…a picture I certainly have seen reflected in Cheryl.

Second, the picture of a godly lady...

Proverbs 31:25–30 CSB

Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come. Her mouth speaks wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also praises her: “Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

Prov 31.

Third, Cheryl was able to grow in displaying these traits because she had repented of her sin and placed her faith in Jesus as her Savior and Lord...

Galatians 2:20 CSB

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Fourth (& finally), all these scriptures lead us to the assurance of this wonderful promise from our Lord...

John 14:1–6 CSB

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.” “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14.1-

I pray, family, that our Lord will bless you with peace and strength based on this hope of which we have just been reminded. Let’s pray.

Prayer

Dismissing of Friends [by rows from front to back, instrumental hymns playing]

__________________________

Graveside:

Scripture [Scott]

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 CSB

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.