Mike Wilson Funeral
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Obituary
Obituary
Fred Michael Wilson went to be with the Lord & Savior Jesus Christ on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Mike was born June 21, 1952 in Louisville, Kentucky to his parents, Fred O. Wilson and Java Wilson.
Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Java Edmonds; father, and step-mother, Fred & Madeline Wilson and brother, Scotty Wilson.
Mike is survived by his beloved wife of 11 years, Christa Wilson; son, Jonathan (Autumn) Wilson; soon to welcome the 1st grandson; Garrett Levi Wilson; step-son, Jonathan (Tina) Conklin of Indiana; sisters, Pam Smith and Marsha Riga; brothers, Mark Wilson, Bill Dean, and Andy Dean; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.
Mike was a faithful member of the Cornerstone Church of Christ where he served in numerous areas of ministry.
He worked in the Grocery Industry all his life, from Liberals Grocery in Dayton, Ohio to Little Debbie's to Kehe Foods.
Mike was selfless and would help anyone in need. He had a wonderful personality, never met a stranger and anyone that got a chance to meet him became good friends.
He was truly a light in this world!
He will be Greatly Missed by all who knew and loved him.
Introduction / Welcome
Introduction / Welcome
On behalf of the Wilson family we would like to thank you for your coming this morning.
Certainly, Mike would have greatly appreciated your presence.
The circumstance which has brought us together today is the most solemn kind of circumstance, and one we must often face in this world where there is sickness, sorrow, and death.
We have come together to weep with those who weep and to express our love and appreciation for the Wilson family and their friends.
And, most importantly, we have come to celebrate the life of a man who dedicated His life to Jesus and through that relationship Mike became an inspiration to everyone who knew him.
P R A Y E R - Rich Walker
Family Statements:
John Wilson
Autumn Wilson
Bill Dean
Eulogy
Eulogy
The Psalmist said:
15 The death of his faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight.
Physical death, while inevitable for all of us, is something that many view with fear and dread.
To us, with our physical limitations, death never seems, under any circumstances, a “valuable” thing.
But as we go through life we are challenged to view things as God does.
For, you see, God does not see things as they appear to us.
Rather, He sees everything in relation to eternity.
The death of God’s saint, rather than being a senseless end to a futile existence, is really the crowing glory of a life of faith.
It is in the transition of death that the child of God exchanges worlds.
The Christian goes from one that is temporal to one that is eternal.
From one darkened by sin to one where the sun is not even needed for the glory of God supplies the everlasting light.
We pass from a world filled with pain, sorrow, and tears to one where every tear is wiped from every eye and there is no more sorrow, crying or pain.
Our death supplies our entrance into the higher, eternal fellowships.
The eternal inheritance is no longer a hope – it is now a reality.
The death of one of God’s saints is also a release from toil; toil in the support and care of family and toil in the Lord’s vineyard. In Revelation we read:
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.” 14 Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
When a Christian passes, there is a well deserved rest from the riggers of day to day living, the allurement of temptation and the influence of sin and Satan.
It is in death that the Christian realizes their labors have not been in vain.
Fighting temptation, resisting Satan, standing for truth and being a light to others will be rewarded with a home in heaven where we have rest from our labors.
Yet, the passing of a loved one and friend impresses upon us the brevity and uncertainty of life.
The short span of our temporal existence is noted in James 4:13-14:
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
The Psalmist also spoke of the brief nature of life when he said
15 As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower of the field; 16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.
Whether death comes by sickness, accident, or old age, we cannot ward it off, we must face it.
27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—
But the one who has been obedient to the Lord, as brother Wilson was, does not need to fear, for the Lord is with such a one, even in death.
A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.
Still the shadows of sorrow hover over us as we stand in the presence of death.
Grief is a natural reaction to death. But to understand the nature and purpose of life is to cope with death, and to understand grief is to understand life.
16 Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 1 For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.
We see, then, that even in death there is comfort; comfort in the fond memories of Mike and how he touched our lives.
Treasure each memory of Mike … Let us let Mike’s good character and good values influence us through our lives.
Not only can we take comfort in the memories, but we can take comfort from God:
13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
As the apostle Paul has encouraged us, we must not “lose heart” when faced with death, but rather look without fear beyond the grave to the eternal home of the soul.
The child of God never needs to fear death, for Jesus Christ came to earth to grant us victory over it.
Jesus lived as a man, willingly went to the cross as the sacrificial lamb, and then was raised by the power of God in victory over sin and death.He allows His saints to share in that victory.
Those united with Him in His death are to be gloriously raised from the grave incorruptible, eternal, and victorious.
With Christ as his shepherd, the faithful child of God can be comforted by His constant, tender care, even in death.
The Lord is present at the death of His saints. He is there to comfort, console, and receive that one into His presence eternally.
Our loved one who we mourn today is a recipient of that comfort and consolation from His Lord.
The Lord is always there for His own, ready to bless, willing to receive.
P R A Y E R - Russ Robins
GRAVESIDE SERVICE
GRAVESIDE SERVICE
We have reached the end.
We can go no farther with Mike.
Today, based on the fruit of Mike’s life, we stand confident in the promises of our God.
We trust that he is alive and at peace.
We trust that Mike has moved on to enjoy the fellowship of the saints.
And for this, we are thankful.
SONG - I Stand in Awe of You
As we mourn for his death today, let us remember Psalm 121, where we have the promise that God will help those who seek him:
A song of ascents. 1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. 4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 5 The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. 6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. 8 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.
P R A Y E R - George Wacks