Deloris Woodside 7/20/19

We gather this afternoon to remember, celebrate and give thanks for the life of Deloris Woodside. We celebrate, because of the hope that is ours because of Jesus. Listen to these words from the Apostle Paul,

12But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

20But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. [1]

We celebrate today because we believe (as did Deloris) that she is now part of this great harvest of those who have died to live eternally.

Please pray with me.

Gracious Father, we ask for your comfort and your grace anew this afternoon. We bring you our gratitude for the life of Deloris Woodside. Her influence and example blessed us richly during her years. Help us today as we pay tribute to her life. Comfort us with the promises of your Word and the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. Stir up our hope as we remember. Amen.

[Dan's Comments]

SONG

Deloris Burford Comstock Woodside was a strong and classy woman. She was born on November 14, 1932 to Cecil and Ruby Burford. I am told she had many friends in school. She worked many bookeeping jobs when she was younger. She married Rodney Comstock in her late teens and they were married for 25 years.

They worked together on the farm. Every few years purchased they purchased a new Buick Electra 225. They had one son, Steve and also helped raise their niece Julie. Rodney and Deloris were faithful in their faith and their desire to raise their children to believe. During the early 1970's Deloris started to work at the flower shop alongside her sister Pattsy Powelson. Rodney died in 1975.

When the owner of the flower shop wanted to retire, Deloris and her sister purchased the business and named it My Sister's Place. That way when anyone asked whose shop it was, they could say, "It is my sister's place". The shop was in business for over thirty years closing just three years ago.

Deloris' niece, Laura Pfeiffer remembers the flower shop as "an enchanted land full of beautiful flowers and fun baubbles." She and Levi always called her Aunt Dude and remembered with fondness the Stover Chocolates that had 5 pieces of chocolate in every box. Laura enjoyed learning how to arrange flower arrangements.

Deloris loved the La Harpe community. She and Patsy didn't just promote their business. They promoted all the businesses in La Harpe, even if those businesses were in competition to their own business. They were active members in the Golden Rule Club. Deloris was secretary for many years. She was passionate about uniting the businesses of LaHarpe to restore vitality to the downtown area. She worked tirelessly on the Sesquicentennial.

IN 1983 Deloris was blessed to reconnect with a high school friend, Jim Woodside who had also lost his wife. They fell in love and I had the honor of conducting their wedding in the Union Church in April of 1984. They were married 34 years before Jim died last year. They had lots of fun together and supported each other through various health issues. There was lots of laughter between them.

I'm told they took Jim's mom into their home to care for her. Deloris told her friend that they didn't get a great deal of sleep because her mother-in-law kept getting in bed with them! This shows the kind of woman Deloris was to put up with that!

Deloris was a loyal member of the Union Church and supplied flowers for the front of the church each week for many years. She also called me every year to remind me to get flowers for Easter and Christmas for our shut-ins. That ministry was deeply appreciated by our shut-ins and by me. I visited the flower shop several times to draw on Deloris' wisdom. My anniversary and her birthday were the same day and we always exchanged greetings.

Because of the business Deloris had many friends in surrounding communities because of the flower shop. She was active in the Mother's Club and Eastern Star. She loved to play Bridge, liked to read all kinds of books (she was a Danielle Steele fan). She loved jewelry. And she enjoyed watching the Voice. Her favorite Judge was Blake Shelton. She and Julie would talk over the show after each episode.

Deloris was a truly Christian woman. When people invested in her flower shop, she made sure (even if it was to her own loss) they would not lose their money. She had a rich smile, a robust laugh, and cared deeply about others. No matter how sick she was, she always asked about my family. She took pride in her appearance and always spoke of others in positive and honoring terms.

Deloris endured much pain and heartache in her life. She buried two husbands. She suffered with Wegener's Disease. It is characterized by inflammation in various tissues, including blood vessels, but primarily parts of the respiratory tract and the kidneys. Generally, the life expectancy for the disease is only 5-6 years. Deloris survived for 19 years. She continued to work for most of those years sometimes depending on the help of her family.

Deloris was a wonderful Christian woman who not only was a member of the Golden Rule Club in La Harpe, she lived by the Golden Rule. It is frustrating to try to sum up her life in these few words. She was a bunch of little things that made her unique and special. Words fail to describe her. However, my hope is that the fact that you are here today may indicate that you know what I mean.

Deloris went home to be with the Lord on July 15th. Both children survive along with her step-children, Grandchildren, and her brother Dan Burford.

She is welcomed home by a host of family and friends in addition to the Savior she served all her life.

These words of the Apostle Paul come to mind as I think about Deloris,

7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. [2]

It is unfortunate that many people take these verses to mean: if you live a good life you will go to heaven. That is not what Paul is saying which is clear from the first part of the letter to 2 Timothy from which this quote is drawn.

The Bible is clear: no one can earn Heaven. God is Holy, so sinful people cannot be part of His Kingdom. We are ALL sinful people. The answer to the dilemma (which God provided) was for the Son of God to come to earth, fulfill all the requirements of the Law and then trade His perfect life as payment for our sin. The reason this works is because Jesus was the Son of God.

I like to explain it with an illustration that starts with a question: How many secret service agents would give their lives to protect a President of the United States? Hopefully every one of them would do so. In fact, most military servicemen and women would do the same. But Why? It is not so much that this one life is worth thousands . . . it is the office which makes it worth the sacrifice of thousands of lives. If we turn this around, we better understand the purpose of the cross.

Jesus, as the Son of God, held a position of infinite worth. He traded His perfect life for any and all who would trust Him. We are given eternal life, not because of our goodness but because of His.

Not everyone will respond to Christ. Some will refuse to depend on Him. But those who trust and follow Christ as Lord, are guaranteed to live even though they die. And the evidence of that is Jesus once again. Because He rose from the dead, He has credibility to declare that His sacrifice was sufficient for us to be made new.

Deloris understood this. She loved listening to and reading Billy Graham. She also heard this repeatedly at the Union Church. Deloris believed strongly in prayer. She also prayed. I suspect many of us in this room were beneficiaries of her prayers on our behalf. I have no doubt Deloris was a genuine believer.

The 2 Timothy passage is talking about our faithfulness AS BELIEVERS. Paul was saying, as he looked back on his life, that he believed he had followed the Lord faithfully. And I believe the same could be said of Deloris. She could say, I have fought the good fight, I have endured the trials faithfully, I have tried to treat others in a Christlike manner. And now I have finished the course and there is waiting me the inheritance and the reunion I have longed and prepared for.

Understand, our sadness today need not be for Deloris. She has lost NOTHING and gained everything! Her endurance proved and demonstrated her faith. Our sadness today is for OUR loss. For Deloris, this is a day of celebration. It is a time of deliverance from the limitations of the body, reunion with those she has loved, and a chance to meet and enjoy forever, the Savior who gave His life for her. Things are GREAT for Deloris!

It's my hope that we who sit here today will gain inspiration from her life. I pray we might all make our faith sure, trusting in the Lord rather than ourselves. I pray we would be spurred to a greater endurance, faithfulness, kindness and service. And if that is what happens she will be proud and all of Heaven will smile.

So, my prayer is for God to comfort you and help you remember this unique and wonderful woman.

every time you see a floral arrangement, eat cashews, or Stover's candy

every time you see a Danielle Steele book or watch The Voice

every time you see an Easter Lily or Poinsettia plant

every time you are tempted to grumble about someone who is walking with a cane and moving too slow for you.

when you are tempted to feel sorry for yourself

when tempted to speak negatively about someone else in our community

when tempted to withhold a smile or an act of kindness from another

God gave us a wonderful gift in Deloris Woodside. Here memory should spur us on in our living. We should cherish her memory and be very grateful.

SONG

Lord, thank you for the life, ministry, and service of Deloris Woodside. She taught us about faithfulness, consistency, and kindness. Because of this, we will miss her. We are grateful she has entered into Your Kingdom and the place that you have prepared for her. Now, Lord, help us as we carry on. Draw this family close together. Help them as they do the work those left behind must do. But more than anything, help them, and us, to remember. Draw us to yourself so we also will live our lives by faith in You. We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[1] 1 Co 15:12–20.

[2] 2 Timothy 4:6–8.