Steve Beaver - 7/3/20

Funeral for Steve Beaver We come together today reeling from the sudden loss of our family member and friend, Steve Beaver. Our desire today is to give thanks for his life and to re-affirm the hope that assures us that Steve is more alive today than he has ever been before. Steve loved to fly which makes these words especially appropriate. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31) In 2 Corinthians 5 we are assured, 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. (2 Corinthians 5:1) The Apostle Paul wrote 38 I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) And we remember the words of the Apostle Paul, "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is . . . gain." (Philippians 1:21) Let's pray: Gracious Father, we are weary from the losses that seem to surround us. we were caught so off guard by Steve's death, even though we know we are not guaranteed anything. Draw us close to you today. Help us to grasp your promise of life beyond the grave so we might truly rejoice with our friend, even as we mourn over the hole that is left in our lives. Help us to remember the treasures we experienced through Steve as we also remember the promises you have given to us. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. How do you sum up the life of Steve Beaver? Probably everyone here has some story about Steve. He was a driven guy with a variety of interests, the mentality of a thrill seeker, a rock solid faith, a vast array of talents, a clear sense of what was right and wrong, a great sense of humor, a laugh that was unmistakable, and he was rock solid as a friend. As most of us know, Steve was adopted as a baby. He was born on March 13th, 1955 and was brought to Art and Mable Beaver on July 2nd, 1955, a little over 3 months old. He was adopted at the very beginning of 1956. Steve grew up on a farm near Colusa, Il. He helped his dad on the farm where he learned the value of hard work and American ingenuity. He was part of the "Durham Gang." Steve honed his sense of humor from being around his dad and Bob Eckert. It was a good life of hard work and great times on hayrack rides and at wiener roasts. Steve attended the Colusa Grade School. Dianne Balmer knew him as the little neighbor boy. He had just started Kindergarten and was around a week into it when Steve came onto the bus, sat next to Dianne's sister and reported with great disappointment that "he had been to school for 5 days and still can't read." He was eager for the school to teach him something important. Steve was always eager to learn and grow. At 9 years old, Steve had his first ride in the airplane of his neighbor who was a crop duster. His love of flying was born. One of the dreams Steve had was to become a pilot. He fulfilled that dream a number of years ago when he got his pilot's license and purchased a Mooney aircraft. Steve and Lynne worked with EAA Youth Eagle program which gave young children the chance to experience flying. Steve was eager for others to know the exhilaration he felt in the air. When Steve was getting used to his new plane, he was having some trouble. He determined that the reason was because he was used to driving his zero turn lawn mower and those pedals were the opposite of that of the plane . . . so he re-configured the pedals on the lawnmower so he could practice flying while he mowed! Steve attended Nauvoo-Colusa High School where he ran track, played basketball, and was 1st chair trumpet player in the marching and jazz band. He was an officer in his 4-H Club, "the Busy Beavers" and was the 4H federation president his senior year. For 4H projects he and his parents traveled to Canada so he could raise Cheviot Sheep. The were Grand Champions at the 4H and State fairs. Steve was a gear head. He loved engines of all kinds. He was also good with electrical, heating or plumbing. He understood mechanical things (except maybe for his Smart TV and his remote control!) He did sometimes get a little wild with his vehicles. Like the time he and Kathy were going to meet Jeanette and her friend in Niota to do something for the evening. It was bitterly cold. Steve was doing donuts in a parking lot (to impress Kathy, I'm sure) and broke the throttle cable on his car. Steve knew that they could still meet up with Jeanette and company if he could hold the throttle cable in place. So, as Jeanette was wondering if Steve and Kathy were coming, a strange sight appeared coming down the road. Kathy was driving the Bug, Steve was standing on the back bumper holding the throttle cable in place with one hand and hanging on to the car for dear life with the other hand. All, while freezing. We all know Steve could be a little stubborn. No one remembers where they went next, but they are pretty sure they went somewhere where Steve could thaw out. Steve liked high adventure. When he wasn't standing on the bumper of his VW, he liked to water ski, snow ski, liked to boat, loved drag racing, motorcycle racing, and off-road adventures with the gang in Colorado. Steve had an Isuzu Trooper, which I am told he drove like a maniac up the Holy Cross Trail. He tended to drive his Trooper like he was driving a dirt bike. He surprised everyone by driving it up Flag Mountain (although the truth came out later when they learned Carl Calvert dragged him up the hill.) Steve later customized a jeep to run the off-road trails. Steve had a few close calls in life. He was water skiing once and went into the water near a grain elevator and was being pulled underneath the empty barges when he grabbed the welding edge of the boat. Someone else jumped in to save him and would have been pulled under the barges if Steve hadn't grabbed him. On another occasion he was on a boat in the Mississippi that broke in two. They had to swim to one of the islands and find someone with a phone. As you know, Steve was diabetic. That shook him up when he was first diagnosed. One of his biggest concerns was his ability to keep flying. Steve watched what he ate carefully. When we would meet for lunch it was always a salad and a hamburger without the bun and a diet coke. Steve's one weakness, however, was bacon. He would never turn down bacon! Steve was an Illinois State Scholar. He graduated from Spoon River College and then transferred to WIU. He got his teaching degree and taught auto-mechanics and served on the Vocational and Advisory Board at La Harpe High School in the 1970's. He was in the vocational building with Charlie Apt. At the time, Jan Logan, the principal, used a portable horn as a fire alarm. Once time Charlie decided he would use the horn to fake a tornado drill. He sounded the horn in the hope it would cause Steve to leave with his class and look foolish in front of everyone else. What Charlie didn't know, was Steve's class was supposed to remain in his classroom in the case of a tornado. Steve was never one to resist payback. He took the same horn, put it in a tool cabinet in Charlie's shop, turned it on, and then padlocked the door! Charlie came in and got a cutting torch to shut off the lock, and then he used the torch on the horn itself, and it was never heard from again! When the kids came to get their grades, Charlie and Steve would often be waiting for the kids with a garden hose with a nozzle to spray them or engage them in a water fight. Onother occasions you might find the two of them outside having a snowball fight. Is it any wonder the students got into the action? Once the students put a kitten in the drawer of Steve's desk. During the course of the class Steve heard something and was looking around to see if he could find it. Finally he opened the drawer, and the cat that really wanted out of that drawer leapt out at him. On other occasions the students would get their early and write things on the overhead projector roll that Steve used. He would be teaching right along and the "special slide" would show up. Steve grew his first mustache as a teacher because on a field trip someone tried to interview him thinking he was one of the students! Steve was always up for a good prank. Ned Eckert was around 4 years old and Steve noticed Ned was taking all the black olives from the relish tray and hoarding them. Steve said, "Ned, be careful if you eat too many of the Olives, your ears will fall off." He then stood back and watched as Ned tried to sneak the olives back on to the relish tray in the hope of keeping his ears! One year my birthday fell on a Sunday. I don't know who's idea it was, but they put on a little skit for me. Steve was decked out as father time to give me a hard time about getting older. . . yet, Steve was 11 days older than I am! Now, the fact that I had decorated the sound table with lots of balloons on his birthday once, may have been part of his motivation. One time, the ladies were having their Mother and Daughter banquet and for some reason they decided it would be good to have men dress up as women, to illustrate the various months of the year. Steve came as a bride. He was an ugly bride! (Of course, if you saw the picture of the two of us, you would see that I was one really ugly woman also. But neither of us looked as bad as Steve Hilligoss, who for some reason came in a one-piece woman's bathing suit!) Steve ran sound at the church for as long as we have needed someone to run the sound. He originally helped us get the sound system into the current century. Steve always told me that he really had all the power in the church, because he could determine whether or not I would be heard. When something went wrong, I could count on some remark coming from the sound booth! When we had an especially busy Sunday, Steve would complain that he wasn't getting paid enough. Rick always told him we would double his salary for that day! Rick used to call the guys back in the booth the trained monkeys because "anyone could do their job!" Steve always threatened to sit in the back in a monkey mask one day to see if he could get us to crack up. However, in all seriousness . . . he was a great guy to have running the sound. The guys in the sound booth had their own little group. They would text each other and give each other a hard time whenever it was possible. Steve served in various capacities in the church. I loved having Steve on a board or committee. He was straightforward and very logical in everything he said. He was a voice of wisdom that I valued greatly. Over the years Steve had several jobs: a service station in La Harpe, he started a pest control business with Ken Foster, worked for Ward Crop Service and then UAP. Next he did computer tech-support then became senior trainer for Advance Software for Software Solutions Integrated, LLC in Shelbyville IL. Steve was able to travel to train people all over the country and really enjoyed his work. Steve's teaching background became a huge asset in this job as he worked to find ways to help clients understand the software. His work family held a special place in his heart. The biggest part of Steve's life however was his family. He met Lynne at a Methodist Church Youth gathering. That was the predecessor of the Reach Out ministry. From out of those days the Believer's Singing group started. Steve sang tenor and I understand he liked to move while he sang! Steve often had to help keep the big blue bus running when the group would go sing on the weekends. Jeanette remembers the times they would get home real late and then she would have to drive to Western. Steve followed her to WIU, walked her to the dorm to make sure she was safe, and then drive on to Canton arriving home in the wee hours. As time moved forward, Steve fell in love with Lynne. They were married on June 11, 1977 at the Union Church. They continued to sing with the Believers and were both on the album the group made. When Steve and Lynne had Chris, they were overjoyed. Steve loved spending time with Chris. They loved attending his sports activities, listening to him play trumpet in band and singing in musicals. They had lots of great family vacation they will remember forever. One even took them to dinner in the U.S. Capitol. After Steve got his pilot's license he and Lynne loved taking off and flying somewhere together. Sometimes it was a purposeful flight . . . sometimes it was just for fun. Lynne tried to get Steve to broaden his menu choices when they were out. He tried it one time and hated it so that was it. If you went to a restaurant for a nice meal Steve was almost always going to get a ribeye steak. Steve and Lynne have been together for well over 40 years. Like everyone, they have had their ups and downs, but they continued to fight for their marriage. They were best friends. The loss of that unique friendship may be the biggest loss for Lynne. Steve loved being part of the large Little family. As with everyone else, Steve loved to give people a hard time and was more than willing to get grief in return. Steve had lots of nick names. Charlie Apt called him Mr. Cleaver (from Leave it to Beaver), some of his family called him "Mac," and many called him simply "Beaver." At the big family gatherings Steve had to endure all the short jokes (especially from Michael Jones). He would hear things like "Beaver, we saved you a spot at the kids table," "Mac, my son turns four soon, let's get the two of you back to back and see who's taller." and " "This year we going tallest to shortest in the food line . . . we hope you ate at home." However, after all the kidding was done, Steve was always available for a serious conversation. Steve and Jenny went back and forth about being only children. One or the other would say, "You are the sibling I never had, and never wanted." Steve and Eric started farming together. It was at the same time both stressful and exhilarating. Steve loved a challenge and was always looking to diversify. I saw Steve take such good care of his parents and other relatives. He was a loyal guy. He was a guy you could depend on. There was a group of us, Todd Irish, Kevin Beals, Steve, and myself, who all hade birthdays within days or weeks of each other. We would get together periodically and have a fantastic time with our spouses and bemoan the fact that we were aging. For me, however, I will always cherish our friendship. We both had some rough times in our lives over the last many years. I appreciated Steve's listening and clarifying ear, and his wonderful sense of timing in calling to ask if I had lunch plans. Steve did not just talk about being your friend . . . he showed it. I will be grateful for that friendship for the rest of my life. I know that is the way many of you feel today. Steve was a blessing from God to our lives. . . when he wasn't giving us a hard time about something! We have a song from the Believers album featuring the Squirrel Ridge Boys (Jim Jones, Don Little, Randy Little and Steve) [Song] * * * * I have conflicted emotions today. On the one hand, I am devastated by the loss of my friend. On the other hand, I am grateful Steve died the way he would have wanted to die . . .quick. Steve would have hated being confined to a hospital or being in a Nursing home. He would have hated how much money he was spending. And, let's face it, he would have been a terrible patient! Most of all, I am grateful that I know for certain where Steve is. There are these great verses from the book of Revelation And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. (Rev. 21:3-6) Steve Beaver is enjoying the greatest adventure of his life. He is with the Lord he served throughout his life. The worries are gone. He is set free from the limits of life on this side of the grave. But that doesn't mean we don't miss him. It is important, however, to underscore that Steve is not in this better place simply because he died. Not everyone who dies, goes to Heaven. In fact, it is probably true that most people who die do NOT go to Heaven. Steve is also not in Heaven because he lived a good life. Steve lived well, but no one lives well enough to earn Heaven. The Bible is clear; "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." By nature, we are selfish people who resist the rule of God in our lives. We do not seek God's glory as much as we seek our own. No one deserves Heaven; not Steve, not me, not you. I know Steve is in Heaven today because He trusted Christ as His Savior. He believed Jesus is who He said He was. He believed God became man to reach out to and love us. Jesus laid down His life to pay for our sinful thoughts and actions. He took the penalty that WE deserved. Steve believed in, and sought to follow, Christ. And that is why I believe he is in Heaven today. I know I am going to see my friend again someday. If I had had the chance to ask Steve what he wanted me to tell people, I think He would have said, " Tell them I was tall, handsome, and real a stud." Then he would have turned serious and said, "Tell them about God's love for us. Tell them I want to see them again as part of God's Kingdom." God sent His Son into the world to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He did it because He loves us more than we can comprehend. He did it because He wants us to be part of His family. He did it because He wants to set us free from bondage to sin, death, and futility. The opportunity is available to everyone. It doesn't matter where you have been or the horrible choices you have made. His forgiveness is available to you. We must have genuine sorrow for our sin, truly believe He is able to save us, and then bet our life . . . and our eternity, on that belief. It sounds simple, but it is an all or nothing decision. It isn't a card you sign, or an experience you have, it is falling into His arms; surrendering to His power, it is embracing His love. If you have never done this, or you think it is too late, as our Lord's representative I assure you that as long as there is breath in your body it is not too late. But I also warn you, one of the last things Steve taught us is: you never know which moment may be your last. Don't squander this opportunity. Don't spend another day apart from Him. Don't gamble with your eternity. Stop pretending to believe in him and actually take that first step of faith. There are no gimmicks, no special handshakes, only a life-changing decision. Steve Beaver was the man he was because of the God who led his life. I invite you to follow in his footsteps so you too will live, even though you die. Let's pray together, Father, our hearts ache from our loss. Deliver us from our short-sightedness. As we mourn our loss, help us to rejoice at Steve's promotion. Thank you for his life and the imprint it made on our own lives. Thank you for his spirit, his sense of humor, his skills, and his dependable friendship. Father, I ask you to bring special comfort, guidance, and wisdom to Lynne and Chris as they make the many difficult adjustments in their lives. And Father, if there are any here or who watch this in the future who have not embraced your off of forgiveness and new life, I ask you to help them to do so right now. Today. In the quiet of this moment. Grant that even in this, Steve's funeral, he might still be bringing people to you. Amen As one who played the trumpet, I think it is appropriate to end with the story of the funeral of Winston Churchill. He had the opportunity to plan his own funeral. At the end of the funeral a trumpeter played "taps." When taps ended, two trumpeters at the corners of the church played revelry! It was a symbol that Churchill, just like Steve Beaver ended one life, only to begin a better life, where, in the words of C.S. Lewis "every chapter is better than the one before." One of the things Steve's dad used to say is a very appropriate way to end our time: "End of Song, End of Dance, End of Round One" 1