Donna Jo Lydy - 3/30/19
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We come together this morning to celebrate the life of Donna Jo Lydy. As we do so we cling to the promise of life beyond the grave God gives us in the Bible.
In John 11 Jesus said,
“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. (25-26)
2 Corinthians 15 (the chapter that argues powerfully for the literal and bodily resurrection of Jesus) says,
Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. (42-44)
It is with this hope that we come to the Lord in prayer.
Our Father, we come today to celebrate and to renew our faith. Help us as we do so. We stand here today acknowledging that apart from You we would stand here without any hope at all. Instead, we have confidence that this is not the end for Jo, it is just the end of the beginning. Help us to remember and hope with this in mind. We ask in Jesus name.
Donna Jo Lydy was born on September 21, 1955 in La Harpe to Lowell and Marcia (Kern) Blythe. She went to Millikin University and graduated with a degree in early childhood education. She was the mother to three children, Justin, Amy, and Kevin; and three grandchildren: Hudson, Oliver, and Challie Harper. Jo went home to be with the Lord on February 25, 2019.
The words in an obituary are insufficient to describe any life, much less one that was so full and faithful.
Amy is going to come and share a little fuller picture about her mom . . . .
My mom was born and grew up right here in La Harpe, Illinois. Her parents had a turkey hatchery for many years and later raised Charlois cattle. She was the fourth of six kids. She liked the big family because, growing up, there was always someone to play with. My grandpa liked the big family because he always had someone to jump out of the truck to open and close the fences, or corral a cow if one got loose. Before the town’s swimming pool was put in, it was a very exciting day when my grandma would fill the kiddie pool in the yard. It didn’t matter that it only fit three kids at a time or that the water was only a few inches deep. I can only imagine that they did a lot of laughing in that pool. Mom loved to laugh and she laughed often, but never quite as much as when she was with her siblings. Through the years, my mom loved talking about the farm; memories of her Mom and Dad, mushroom hunting, my grandma managing a nearly 40-pound turkey for Thanksgiving one year--and how it barely fit in the oven, the trials of having only one bathroom for a family of 8, and of course, the many gates she opened for her Dad. And too many more memories to list. It made her happy to go back and reminisce on those things.
My mom did so much for us growing up. And she did it without complaining. She spent so much time driving back and forth to the high school, endlessly washing sport jersey’s, volunteering for boosters, baking for certain church and school functions and so many other things. She somehow managed to make it to all of the games, shows and performances. I have so many fond memories of looking out at the crowd and seeing my mom’s smiling face looking back at me. Every time. She provided so many opportunities to my brothers and me and I know that we are forever grateful for the many ways those experiences enriched our lives.
Every birthday and holiday were a cause for celebration and of course, decorations. She loved thinking about those details and decorating to make each event special. After I moved to Seattle in 2004, she began shipping boxes with the party inside. She was always so thoughtful and it was always fun to see what details she added. It was also fun to see how she packed or folded things in the box. She had an amazing knack for packing things just perfectly so to utilize space.
My mom was officially diagnosed with Interstitial lung disease in early 2016, even though she began battling symptoms a few years before that. She faced each phase of her progression with such strength and courage. She never gave up hope of being healed. But we would also talk about how she knew without a doubt that God deeply loved her, even if healing in this life was not His plan for her. Mom and I began to pray with each other over different things, especially the last couple of years. I valued being able to pray with her through this process. I loved being able to hear her heart, so tender and gentle, as she spoke to her Heavenly Father. She met Jesus in a dream when she was a child. She described it as being so real and vivid that she, when she woke, wasn’t sure whether it had actually happened. All she knew for sure was that it began a lifetime relationship. She found comfort in knowing that she was loved, and that God had never and would never leave her side, even as He walked her through the heavenly gates.
I will miss her sweet voice and gentle ways. When I was very little, I started ending every note or letter I wrote her with, “Love, Your One and Only, Amy.” I will miss how she loved calling me her one and only. She loved her family and friends well, which is such a testament to the deep and lasting friendships she had with people. So many of you are here today. My mom was one of the most loving, thoughtful and generous people I have ever met. So many of the wonderful things I have in my life are because of her. Also, she went out of her way to help others. It was a true joy in her life to put their needs before her own. Not for any recognition or accolades, but because she knew it could bring happiness to their hearts. And that was enough for her. For my mom, it never really was about the specific activity, but rather about the time spent with people and the heart connections that could be made.
The legacy of her life and her love will live on in the many ways that she touched our lives. My five-year-old son, Oliver, said it well when he told me, “Mom, I will miss grandma so much. We put the people we love in our hearts and I will love grandma in my heart forever.” Because of the faith that I share with my mom, I know that she is fully alive and healed in heaven. She is getting to experience, right now, the eternal joy and glory that is beyond all comparison. I will miss her immensely, but I also know that we can truly celebrate with her as we look over a life well lived. Mom, I love you. You will live on in my heart forever.
I knew Jo as Donna Jo because that is what I heard her parents call her. My recollection is she always had a smile on her face and if something funny was going on, it seemed she laughed the hardest. Her laugh was infectious.
From what I understand, Jo loved the farm. Even in her teen years she could be found driving the hay wagon back and forth to the fields. After she got married and moved away, she would bring Justin, Amy and Kevin back to the farm and they would spend 3-4 weeks with the family.
She loved family. She celebrated with others by always asking to see pictures and then when she had the opportunity, she always had pictures of her family. She was a special aunt. There was a warmth about her that drew people like a magnet to her.
She loved to cook and everyone in the family, it seems had a favorite Jo recipe. She was always on the lookout for new recipes. She was forever cutting them out of magazines.
Truthfully, Jo simply loved life. She enjoyed playing with the kids, reading, feeding the birds, sending a card, making a phone call to keep in touch, and she loved her hot tea. In fact,
Hudson's first sentence was "Ma ma's hot tea."
Jo possessed the quality of being able to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. In fact, I think this is probably why "The Voice" was her favorite TV show. I suspect she loved watching people seeing their dreams come true. I am sure she often cried out of happiness during the show.
Jo was a woman who didn't need the spotlight. She was quite happy working in the shadows. Afterall she wasn't living for public approval but for divine approval. She faced her trials with courage. She worked hard at staying positive. To this end she embrace forgiveness when it was necessary. She made her lists and tried to live well. And she succeeded.
You don't get the opportunity to learn how to die very often. Her family had a good teacher. Jo died unafraid and eager to be with the Lord she served all her life. May we learn from her example.
[Song]
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Sometimes, in the crush of life, things don't go the way we expected or the way that feels "fair" to us. In those times it is tempting to feel God has let us down. He has failed to deliver on His promises. The thing is, Jesus never promised life would be easy. He promised that He would not leave us or forsake us. In fact, He warned us that "in the world we would have tribulation but we needed to remember that He had overcome the world." He told us that if they persecuted Him, the world would persecute us because a student is not greater than their master.
In 2 Corinthians 4 the Apostle Paul talked about his own sufferings. And, unless I am mistaken, Jo could have been speaking these same words.
8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
. . . our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10; 17-18)
In the midst of hardship Paul discovered the grace, peace, and sufficiency of Christ more profoundly. In fact, the true test of faith is how it stands in the time of extreme testing. Jo passed the test.
Paul knew this life was only the first chapter of the life that goes on forever. Because of Christ, who died in our place, for our sin, those who embrace and follow Him will live even though they die. That changes our focus in the time of heartache and pain. It allows us to look past the pain, if you will, to the face of Jesus. It is on our eternal home on which we fix our eyes.
Paul said, "for me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Did you hear that? To die is not tragedy but GAIN! Paul chose to focus on the destination rather than the pains of the journey. I think Jo did the same thing. And for those who grieve, it is our job to look past the temporary ache of loss to the glory that await anyone who puts their trust in Christ.
Donna Jo Lydy knew where here future hope rested. Though she hoped for the double lung transplant to let her enjoy her family a little longer, she knew eventually she would be going home to be with Jesus. Consequently, news there would be no transplant simply meant she was going to see her Lord and those who have died in Him, that much sooner.
There is no reason for us to feel sorry for Jo. She is better than ever. We mourn because of our loss, not hers. Truthfully, this is a story Jo would have loved because it has the happiest ending of all.
It seems fitting to take a few minutes to remember and give thanks.
[VIDEO]
Our Father, we are so very grateful for blessing us with Jo. We are even more grateful for the work of Jesus that transforms this day from the worst of days to a day with a wonderfully happy ending. Help us to live with Jo's spirit and to embrace faith with the faithfulness she had. Welcome her to the place you made for her before the foundation of the world. And help this family to remember and to draw strength from each other. We ask in the One who made it possible for us to live, even though we die.